Sports
Following Black Stars World Cup exit… Jerseys hang on trees, in shops, thousands left unsold
Days before the Black Stars exit from the World Cup, the national team jersey was the hottest item in Ghana and markets in Tamale.
Today, they swings on trees, while song hang motionless in frontage of shops and roadside stalls, due to Ghana’s painful exit from the championship.
The excitement that once gripped football fans across the country has suddenly given way to disappointment, leaving hundreds of traders with unsold Black Stars jerseys that many had hoped would ‘disappear’ before the tournament ended.
From the Central Market to Aboabo, Lamashegu, the hospital road pavement and other busy commercial centres in Tamale, retailers who had enjoyed brisk business during Ghana’s World Cup campaign now sit quietly beside stacks of jerseys, waiting for buyers who may never come.
“Business was booming when the Black Stars was in the tournament,” said Ibrahim Abdulai, a jersey dealer in Tamale.
“Every match day brought more customers. Some people even bought different jerseys after every match because they believed Ghana would go far.”
According to him, demand rose so sharply that prices nearly tripled as optimism swept across the country.
“A jersey that was selling for GH¢90 suddenly jumped to between GH¢200 and GH¢500 depending on the quality. The authentic replica jersey was the most sought-after and customers were willing to pay almost any price for them,” he explained.
The majority flooding the local markets were replicas of varying quality, imported quickly from Togo to meet growing demand.
For many buyers, authenticity didn’t matter, it was the show of support for the national team.
Some male fans were compelled to buy different customised jerseys for their girlfriends. A man spent GH¢1,850 on jerseys just to wow his girlfriend; so did many men. We hardly saw ladies buying the jerseys.
“I bought four different jerseys,” admitted 31-year-old football enthusiast, Richard.
“I wanted a different one for every important match. Football is about passion. When Ghana was progressing, everybody wanted to be part of the excitement.”
The World Cup frenzy created a temporary economic boom that extended beyond jersey sellers.
Young entrepreneurs offering on-the-spot customisation services worked tirelessly printing names, favourite players’ numbers and personalised messages on jerseys.
Street vendors, mobile hawkers, printers, embroidery operators and small retail businesses all benefited from the surge in demand.
“It wasn’t only the sellers making money,” explained Abdul Karim, who is specialised in jersey customisation.
“People wanted their own names or their favourite players’ names printed immediately. We worked from morning until late at night because the demand was overwhelming,” he added.
For many young people, the tournament provided short-term employment and a valuable source of income.
However, Ghana’s elimination brought the booming business to an abrupt halt.
“Some customers have even returned asking if they could exchange or return the jerseys because Ghana is out,” one trader said with a smile.
“We told them that once you buy it, you own it,” he said.
Others simply walked past the stalls without stopping, something that would have been unimaginable just a few days earlier.
Many traders are now hoping the jerseys will still attract buyers beyond the tournament, arguing that supporting the national team should not depend solely on winning.
Football analysts say the fluctuating demand demonstrates how sporting success influences consumer behaviour and local economies.
As national pride grew during Ghana’s World Cup journey, so did spending.
Every game came with increased confidence, higher demand and rising prices.
But once the dream ended, so did much of the commercial excitement.
The phenomenon reflects what has been witnessed in many football-loving nations around the world.
During successful international tournaments, national team merchandise often experiences unprecedented demand, creating opportunities for retailers, manufacturers and informal sector businesses. Yet the momentum can disappear almost overnight when a team is eliminated.
Karim noted that the unsold jerseys remind us that football brings people together.
“When Ghana was playing, everyone wore the colours with pride. The business may have slowed down, but our support for the Black Stars remains.”
As the World Cup continues without Ghana, the once highly sought-after jerseys remain suspended from tree branches to shop entrances and market stalls across Tamale, a symbol of hopes that soared with every victory but faded with the final whistle.
For now, the jerseys are still hanging.
Perhaps not for another World Cup match, but for another moment when the nation once again rallies behind the Black Stars, and the red, gold and green return to the streets with the same passion that briefly transformed football into business.
From Geoffrey Buta, Tamale
The national U-17 female team, the Black Maidens, have arrived in Rabat from their pre-camp base in Casablanca to begin their campaign at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The team will open their Group C fixtures against Norway on Sunday, October 18, at the Mohammed VI Football Complex. They will then face Brazil on Thursday, October 22, before wrapping up the group stage against Canada on Saturday, October 24.
During their two-week training camp in Casablanca, the technical team tested the squad’s readiness with two international friendlies against China and Kenya.
The Black Maidens are returning to the global showpiece after missing the last edition, aiming to build on a proud record that includes a bronze medal in 2012 and three quarter-final appearances.
The team is expected to hold its first training session in Rabat on Wednesday as it puts finishing touches to preparations for the opener against Norway.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
IN modern football, the final whistle doesn’t signal the end of the show; it signals the intermission.
The Top five European Leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1) have mastered a brutal truth of the digital age: you don’t just sell the match; you sell the marathon.
By weaponising transfer window tension, season reviews, and microscopic highlight reels, they’ve turned 90 minutes of sport into a 24/7/365 content vortex.
Meanwhile, back home, the Ghana Premier League (GPL) is haemorrhaging relevance not because the talent isn’t there but because the storytelling is dead.
The Football Association’s apathy is only rivalled by its hypocrisy.
The European Blueprint: Selling the ‘Appetite’
Why do fans tune into a random mid-table La Liga clash on a Friday night? Because they’ve been primed. Across the summer, broadcasters and clubs drip-feed ‘transfer sagas’ like high-stakes soap operas.
Will the star leave? Who is the mystery medical? This tension creates a parasocial investment that transcends the pitch.
Paired with this are season-review documentaries and hyper-curated game highlights tailored for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. These aren’t just goal clips; they are tactical breakdowns, sideline theatrics, and VAR controversies packaged into digestible and emotional bites.
This strategy has inflated broadcasting rights to astronomical sums (the Premier League’s recent domestic deal hit £6.7 billion).
They know that if you feed the audience year-round, they will binge-watch when it matters.
The GPL Vacuum: No Sponsor, No Story
Now, overlay this blueprint onto the Ghana Premier League. It is a stark, barren contrast.
The league is poorly run, lacking a headline sponsor to give it financial muscle or marketing prestige. Without that corporate backing, the media machine grinds to a halt.
The transfer market, which should be the peak of offseason intrigue, is a ghost town. We hear about signings, but the transfer fee is universally undisclosed.” We only get the contract length.
This kills the narrative. In Europe, a €100 million move generates weeks of debate; in Ghana, a move generates a one-line social media post, devoid of gravity. Fans cannot gauge ambition, nor can they measure a club’s financial muscle.
Most damningly, there are no reviews from the broadcasting rights holders. No glossy season-compilation DVDs. No weekly magazine shows dissecting past campaigns to build hype for the next.
The Broadcasting Right Holders (BRHs) treat the GPL as an obligation to air live, not as an IP to monetize through content. The league goes dormant the moment the trophy is lifted.
And the FA? They seem unconcerned. There is no strategic blue • A scene from the Ghana Premier League print to pump these ‘stuffs’ into the digital ecosystem. They treat the league’s media output like an afterthought, ignoring that a lack of online noise equals a lack of bums on seats.
The Black Stars Paradox: The Hypocrisy of Production
Here is the crushing irony that exposes the FA’s priorities. When the Black Stars assemble for a World Cup qualifier or an AFCON match, the narrative flips overnight.
Suddenly, the budget for proper camera operators and videographers appears from thin air. We get cinematic drone shots, multi-angle slow-motion replays, tunnel cams, and emotional post-match interviews.
Every moment, every tackle, every save, every passionate fan in the stands is captured in vivid, broadcast-ready quality. The national team gets the full ‘European treatment.’
This reveals a devastating double standard. The FA treats the Black Stars as the sole marketable asset, forgetting that the GPL is the engine room that produces these stars.
By diverting all production value to the national team while starving the domestic league of visual prestige, they are cannibalizing their own foundation.
The Verdict
You cannot build a football culture on national team fixtures alone.
Europe thrives because they understand that content is the currency of fandom.
Until the Ghana FA secures a headline sponsor, enforces transparent transfer disclosures (to fuel debate), and mandates that broadcasting partners produce engaging season reviews and highlight packages, the GPL will remain a hidden gem rather than a sparkling crown.
The players are there. The passion is there. But if the FA continues to save its best camera angles for the Black Stars while leaving the Premier League in the dark, they aren’t just failing the clubs; they are starving the very appetite they desperately need to feed
By Leslie Agyemang
