Sports
A second look at FA’s U-19 directive
Kurt Okraku
A new season of football festival will commence this weekend with high expectation from fans and stakeholders.
And when it does, one of the things to look out for would be the implementation of a directive at the recent 30th Extraordinary Congress of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) held at Prampram.
By the directive, clubs from the Premier League division through the Division One League (DOL) to Division 2 were mandated to include a number of U-19 players in their match day squads.
This may not be something new for the respective clubs. It has been captured in their discussions but without any clear commitment to it, the FA deemed it necessary to use the Congress platform in order to force it down the throats of the clubs.
Surprisingly, it appears the clubs at the moment have no reservations about the directive to gently compel them to include U-19 players in their match day squads.
It is either the clubs have not given it a considerable thought or would not want to put a dent on the atmosphere at the Prampram Congress which looked more like a carnival or festival for the ‘football people’ as they enjoy the feeling with the facelift of the facilities there.
Of course, every lover of football would applaud such an initiative that aims to strengthen football at the grassroots and serve as a bedrock for the teams at the top tier.
But with every major decision, there are bound to be a few nonconformist ideas not to scupper the entire but take a deeper look and ponder over the long term effects.
Under the new rules announced by FA President, Kurt Okraku, Premier League clubs will be required to include a minimum of four U-19 players in their match day squads, with at least two of them starting the game.
Division One League (DOL) clubs would be required to include six U-19 players in their match day squads, with three of these young players starting each game.
For Division Two clubs, the mandate is even more extensive. These clubs must include eight U-19 players in their match day squads, with four of them starting the game.
This measure is designed to accelerate the development of young players at the grassroots level, ensuring that they are ready for the demands of higher-level football as they progress in their careers.
President Simeon-Okraku explained that the directive was part of a broader strategy to enhance the overall quality of football in Ghana by focusing on youth development.
What the FA must also consider is what will become of juvenile leagues which naturally provides the platform for U-19s considering the numbers that would be consumed by clubs at the top three divisions.
In my view, the FA would have delivered a better arrangement by announcing a recompense for clubs that featured such players at the end of the season rather than forcing such arrangement on the clubs, some of who I suspect hide behind the directive to justify their poor performance.
In the spirit of competition, clubs should be allowed to field the very best in their fold and not be forced to drop top players to make space for U-19s just to make the FA happy.
Selection into match day squad should be on merit but by the Okraku directive, the hands of clubs are being forced to satisfy a particular rule.
It looks even more serious with the DOL and DTL levels where they have to start three and four U-19s, respectively. At best, it should be okay to have a few in their squads but issues about starting must either be justified or earned because the rule as it is brings memories from George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
By Andrew Nortey
Ghana Premier League side, Nations FC, may have suffered the drop in the just ended Premier League and are destined for a fresh campaign in the Division One League (DOL).
But they stand a huge chance of remaining in the elite stage of the game as they face Dreams FC in an epic MTN FA Cup final at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium tomorrow at 6pm.
Dreams FC have been there before; going ahead to taste the honours in the 2022-23 season after defeating King Faisal.
Coming from a season that saw them crawl from the initial stages of the league to finish on a respectable fourth position, they come in as strong favourites to double their honours in the nation’s second top football competition.
History favours them in this regard. On their first final, they conquered and based on this, connoisseurs of the game have tipped them to make it ‘two-on-two.’
But Nations FC have been empowered by the age-old adage that “He that is down need fear no fall.”
Nothing can be worse than suffering relegation and exiting the limelight as far as exposure is concerned.
But the FA offers a decent opportunity to make them stay relevant.
Conquering Dreams FC would not just make them MTN FA Cup champions. It will grant them the prestigious slot to represent Ghana in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) second tier club competition- the Confederations Cup.
With Dreams FC harbouring the same ambitions, the stage is, therefore, set for a final that promises to be explosive and uncompromising.
The situation of Nations FC might have come to many as a surprise, considering their promising start to the season, with their defence especially, marshalled by Black Stars defender, Razak Simpson, and colleague central defender, Raymond Grippman, earning a lot of reviews.
But despite the struggles they endured at certain times of their campaign, the MTN FA Cup always provided slices of good fortunes as they managed to navigate their way to the final.
Road to the top
Nations FC began the MTN FA Cup competition on a promising note, enjoying some good runs with a win over DOL Zone Two side, Ebony FC, in the Round of 64.
That landed them in a tricky encounter with another high-flying Zone Two candidate, AshantiGold SC, a side that eventually won the title from the zone to qualify to the Premier League, but escaped.
At the round of 16 stage, they encountered and defeated Ghana Premier League side, Swedru All Blacks, 2-1 to gain progression to the quarter final stage where they edged Berekum Chelsea on penalties.
A dicey semi-final awaited them against Aduana FC in Swedru. It was a game Nations was given little chance to escape considering Aduana FC’s form but once again, they conquered to secure a final berth.
In total, the Abrankese-based club have scored eight goals and conceded only two throughout the competition, making them one of the strongest defensive sides in the tournament.
For Dreams FC, they defeated Division One League Zone Three side, Semper Fi, 2-1 to progress to the next stage of the competition where they accounted for Division Two side, Asanska FC, 2-0.
That handed them a quarterfinal berth where they faced Inter Allies and drew one all before winning 4-3 on penalties.
The happiest moment in their success story was a 3-2 semi-final win over GPL winners, Medeama SC.
With that feat, Dreams have been touted as potential winners as the match comes at a time the Nations FC side may be psychologically down over the weight of the challenge they face in the next season.
However, the competition has gain notoriety for not following any form guide and outcomes mostly coming as major surprises.
In this regard, Dreams may be tipped as favourite candidates but though Nations are wounded, the stakes could revive an insatiable desire to apply the brakes to turn the dreams of Dreams FC into a nightmare.
Support
The support from MTN Ghana has no doubt improved competition among the clubs with the attractive incentive packages for participating clubs.
MTN Ghana, which is celebrating 30 years of operations in Ghana, formally became headline sponsors of the Ghana FA Cup in the 2010/2011 football season after the competition had returned from an eight-year hiatus.
The first edition under MTN sponsorship was won by Nania FC, who defeated Asante Kotoko 1–0 in the final at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Since then, the competition has been known as the MTN FA Cup, with MTN renewing its sponsorship several times — in 2013, 2017, 2020 and again for subsequent seasons.
By Andrew Nortey
The Black Stars have opened camp in Cardiff ahead of next week’s international friendly against Wales.
The team is being taken through training drills by head coach Carlos Queiroz.
Thirteen players trained at Dragon Park on Monday, with others expected to join the squad on Tuesday.
They include Ernest Nuamah, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Jordan Ayew, Caleb Yirenkyi, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Elisha Owusu, Gideon Mensah, Marvin Senaya, Jerome Opoku, Benjamin Asare, Joseph Anang, Solomon Agbasi, and Alidu Seidu.
The Black Stars will train in Cardiff for one week ahead of the international friendly against Wales on Tuesday, June 2, before traveling to the United States of America.
Coach Carlos Queiroz will use the period to assess his players before naming his final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Twenty-six players will be submitted to FIFA on Monday, June 1, as mandated by the competition regulations.
The Black Stars are drawn in Group L with Panama, England, and Croatia. They will open their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17 in Toronto before facing England and Croatia in their other group matches.
