ONE of the continent’s most successful coaches – South Africa’s Pitso Mosimane, is dumbfounded about the ‘free fall’ of Ghana’s two biggest clubs – Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak, on the continental front.

Speaking to Joy FM in Accra on Monday, the Al Ahly of Egypt ‘sweat merchant’ wondered about the position of the two clubs in Africa, regretting they could not make it into the group stages of the CAF Inter-club competitions latterly.

Hearts and Kotoko were one of the giants of continental football. No more. So appalling has been their output to the extent that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) no longer considers them worthy, having slashed Ghana’s three-club representation in the CAF competition to two (one for Champions League and the other Confederation Cup).

In the last decade or so, only one Ghanaian club (Berekum Chelsea. 2012) ever made into the group stage of the CAF Champions League. Kotoko also managed a place in the group stages of the Confederations Cup in the 2018/19 season. Certainly, this cannot be anything to be proud about – and the highly-rated Mosimane is bowled-over about the level of slump.

“Where are the Porcupine Warriors (Kotoko)? They used to terrorise everybody. Where is Phobia (Hearts)? Where are those teams? When these two teams play in Ghana, the streets are closed. Where are those teams in the Champions League? Where are the top talents,” the celebrated coach, who won the 2016 CAF Champions League with Mamelodi Sundowns and clinched same trophy twice (2020 and 2021) with Al Ahly, quizzed.

A nation’s football strength and solidity is evidenced by its performance at the international level with regard to club level. Truth is that at present, our club football is in comatose!

That for 16 years, no Ghanaian club have won any continental fleece should be of huge concern to all.

Hearts clinched the CAF Champions League in 2000 – 22 years ago, topping up with the CAF Confederation Cup four years later. Great achievement, but that is all there is to it. For Asante Kotoko, their last continental feat was in 1983 when they annexed the African Clubs Championship trophy (now CAF Champions League); that feat happening 13 years after their maiden conquest.

Ever since, both Hearts and Kotoko have failed to re-enact their past glory after a panoply of second-rate attempts.

As far back as December 14, 1997, Obuasi Goldfields (now AshantiGold SC) dazzled their way to the CAF Champions League finale, losing narrowly to Morocco’s Raja Casablanca 5–4 on penalties at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca – the two legs failing to produce a winner (1-1).

Three years later came the Hearts’ accomplishment.

The slump may have hit its apogee last year and showcased why the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and Ghanaian clubs must take a back seat for a while, do a very deep introspection and self-absorption before endeavouring to embark on another ‘useless’ adventure.

As you may have been aware, Hearts were flushed out of their African campaign in the most disgraceful manner.

After taking a 2-0 lead in the play-off stage of the CAF Confederation Cup, Hearts dashed for the return leg encounter full of beans, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, against Algeria’s JS Saoura – only to be hammered 4-0 after a rather shambolic performance to bow out 4-2 on aggregate.

A month earlier or so, Hearts were whitewashed 6-1 in the preliminary stage of the Champions League by WAC of Morocco, after winning the opening fixture in Accra 1-0.

Conceding 10 goals in two away games against North African oppositions was as embarrassing as ego-battering.

For a side that once dominated Africa and went into the campaign as Ghanaian champions, last year’s exit was pure degradation.

It must be reiterated that the performance of our clubs in Africa has for some time now been nothing to write home about. It is, perhaps, the cumulative effect of low investment and poor player quality.

According to the South African coach, the way forward is to ensure that the necessary vibe is created among fans, whilst the private sector also endeavour to invest into the game (league), develop the home-grown players and bring in good players from other countries.

True, most of our premier clubs, today, have no corporate sponsorship and with pitiable attendance at games, clubs are compelled to sell their marquee players to their foreign counterparts for survival.

So, how do such clubs hope to compete on the same platform with their counterparts on the continental stage? Absolutely possible!

Our clubs ought to accept the fact that the game has changed completely. It is now more capital-intensive than before. The planning and organisation of the game, too, is more demanding than used to be the case. Interestingly, we expect to reap a different result after doing same thing over time. It does not work like that.

Certainly, our local game is in some sort of crisis and the GFA and its stakeholders may have to meet and find an productive panacea to reviving its dwindling fortunes.

By John Vigah