Sports
Hughton’s clock ticking
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• Chris Hughton
(This is the concluding part of an article published last week)
The latest heartbreak has even called into question Chris Hughton’s (Coach) competence to steer the team to a successful AFCON in January and to also secure Ghana a World Cup qualification berth.
Seriously, fans are witnessing a very porous Black Stars team shipping in more goals than they score.
Surprisingly, the deteriorating performance of the Black Stars is at a period where there seem to be an upsurge of Ghanaian players performing creditably in some of the major leagues around the world.
Mohammed Kudus seem to be fast establishing himself at West Ham United in the English Premier League just like Thomas Partey who is considered a pivot at Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
The contingents from Germany, Spain, Italy and other places are all giving very good accounts of themselves but their performance for the national team has brought the technical team under the spotlight as well as the GFA which has constantly been at the receiving end of accusations of interfering in player selection.
The performance of some of these players do not suggest that they are the best at the disposal of Chris Hughton and his assistants.
If that was so, then Ghana is in deep talent crisis.
With the AFCON and World Cup qualifiers fast approaching, handlers of the team have very little time to negotiate the difficult curves they face in building a formidable
team that can restore the fans pride.
Patience is key in building winning teams but the competitive world of football gives credence to the saying that “Time and tide wait for no man” so no country or federation would wait for Ghana’s team building process to take shape.
It was gratifying persuading a few top notch players to switch nationalities in Ghana’s favour.
Through that process, there was a Tariq Lamptey ignoring England to don the Black Stars jersey, Inaki Williams ditching Spain to play for Ghana and others.
But it is taking too much time for them to switch into full gear.
Inaki, for instance, is yet to nail down a place in the Black Stars team. Apart from the inability to bang in the goals like he does for La Liga outfit, Atletico Bilbao with his brother who kept faith with Spain, he is yet to make the top striker position his.
He is not the only foreign based player struggling. Dennis Odoi started competitively but subsequent games did not go well with him. His situation was made worse by an injury that kept him out for a few matches.
Tariq Lamptey still look promising, putting up a couple of inspiring performances for Brighton and Hove Albion in the EPL even in an unfamiliar left full back position but is also yet to shine for the Black Stars.
Other well established performers like Thomas Partey, Abdul Salis Ahmed, Baba Iddrissu, Antoine Semenyo and Kamaldeen Sulemana etc. have become inconsistent with the Black Stars in recent days but have maintained their high standards at their respective clubs, raising concerns about commitment and dedication to the Stars course.
In the same manner the FA did the ‘try your luck’ with them based on the faith the technical handlers had in them, I implore the FA/Technical handlers to also give greater attention to the local players who are ready to offer that sacrifice, commitment and dedication lacking in the game of the foreign ‘angels.’
Even if it backfires, we should be ready to go again, after all, we have been with the overly pampered and motivated elites who we devote a chunk of resources on and get little or nothing to show for.
Until that bridge was crossed, the grumblings, cantankerousness and blame game would continue.
By Andrew Nortey
In a resolve to build clearer pathway for athletes, the President of the Ghana Taekwondo Federation (GTF), Mr Frederick Lartey Otu, has indicated the new executive’s commitment to strengthen collaboration with major stakeholders in the development and promotion of the sport.
According to him, it would be difficult to achieve its set targets set for the new elected term without a good working relations with such collaborators.
Mr Otu said this when he addressed participants at the closing ceremony of the 16th edition of the Korean Ambassador’s Cup Taekwondo Championship held last Saturday at the Borteyman Sports Complex.
The event saw the Greater Accra Region’s dominance as they amassed a total of 26 medals consisting of 10 gold, eight silver and eight bronze medals.
The Upper East Region followed in second position with a gold, silver and six bronze medals and Western Region in third after annexing a gold and silver medals.
According to him, the new executive will continue to strengthen collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Recreation (MoSR), National Sports Authority (NSA), Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), the Korean Embassy in Accra, corporate organisations as well as educational institutions and Regional Associations.
“Our recent engagements with key stakeholders have reinforced our belief that there is a willingness to support Ghana Taekwondo when we present clear programmes, demonstrate accountability and work collaboratively,” he stated.
Consequently, he assured of the executive board’s commitment to good governance, transparency, accountability, teamwork and respect for all stakeholders.
“We’ll listen to our regions, clubs, coaches, athletes, officials and members of the Taekwondo family. We’ll continue to improve our administrative systems, documentation, communication, financial planning and programme coordination,” he added.
Mr Otu noted that the board was committed to building a sustainable Taekwondo development system that produces athletes, coaches, referees and administrators capable of representing Ghana with pride.
He said starting this month, the GTF will roll out its first major initiative – the Regional Taekwondo Awareness Campaign, to be launched in the Ashanti Region.
The campaign is designed to take Taekwondo directly to the schools and communities, particularly areas where sporting opportunities are limited.
“Our immediate target is to begin with at least five deprived regions — Northern Region, Upper West Region, Bono Region, Central Region and Ashanti Region — and identify young people with the potential to become future Taekwondo athletes,” he emphasised.
Mr Otu expressed gratitude to the Korean embassy for its continuous support for the championship which he said had given Ghanaian athletes the opportunity to compete, gain valuable experience, test themselves against quality opposition and develop the confidence necessary to progress to higher levels of competition.
At the end of the competition, the embassy presented a number of Taekwondo attires to the GTF to boost the sport’s promotion in Ghana.
By Andrew Nortey
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CAF 2nd Vice President and President of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, has visited the Black Princesses in Poland ahead of their opening game at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The GFA President, who watched the team’s training session, assured the players of the Association’s full support and backed them to make history by qualifying from the group stage for the first time.
“A few days ago, I was in a chat with the head coach and I promised that I was going to join him for what I think is the most important game for us, which is the first game,” President Simeon-Okraku told the team.
“For me, the first game is the most important, because if we start well, chances are that we will do well. History tells us that this team has always been here. We’ve always been at this tournament for seven consecutive times. My inner faith is telling me that we have enough quality here to qualify from this group.”
He praised the players for their sacrifice and patience throughout preparations, saying their investment would be repaid on the pitch.
“You have been patient and gone through the troubles and the hassles. And you are here today. I believe that these sacrifices you have made, these investments you have made, will be repaid,” he said.
The GFA President stressed that Ghana has the quality to overcome their group opponents.
“We are faced by three opponents — Ecuador, Korea Republic and France. These three nations, believe me, are no better than us. We have enough quality in this team to win games in this group and to make it to the second round of the competition.”
“This tournament is played every two years, so after 14 years, this is the 16th year now — this group must be the one that makes it out of the group to the knockout stage. And this must happen.”
“I think the team is ready. The technical team have done a good job. The players have conducted themselves well. We will continue to support you to ensure you get the best to be able to compete at this level.”
He also charged the final squad to make those who missed out proud.
“A few of you were here but didn’t make the squad and had to leave. This is that moment that you have to make them proud.”
President Simeon-Okraku was accompanied to the training ground by Chief of Staff at the GFA, Michael Osekre, and President of Dreams FC, Jiji Alifoe.
Ghana will open their campaign against Ecuador on September 6, 2026, before facing Korea Republic and France in their other group matches.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
