Sports
Kurt Okraku priorities youth football as GFA continues to build for the future
GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, announced to delegates at Congress on Tuesday August 27, 2024 that the Association will fully place youth football at the top of the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) development agenda.
The GFA has already unveiled a comprehensive strategy to rejuvenate the grassroots, aimed at strengthening the very foundation of Ghana football.
The strategy, which is already in motion, embodies the GFA’s commitment to ensuring the enduring vitality of the sport across all levels.
Addressing delegates at the 2024 convocation of Congress at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram on Tuesday, President Simeon-Okraku underscored the importance of placing youth football at the top of the pyramid.
“It is critical for all of us who invest in Ghana Football to understand the need to invest more in our youth. We, therefore, need to institute policies that support clubs to develop talent in a competitive way so as to make our leagues attractive.” he told the delegates.
With his extensive background in Football Management and broad knowledge about the nuances of the sport, President Simeon-Okraku has a deep understanding of how to lead Ghana football along the lines of revitalising youth football in the country.
The Ghana Football Association has initiated several policies and programmes targeted at youth development and empowerment across all levels in the country. These interventions include the training of about 1,600 young referees under the unique Catch Them Young Refereeing policy and the introduction of the novel Elite National Girls U15 Challenge Cup (developed in line with FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme [TDS]) to develop top talent and enhance Ghana Football.
The GFA has also announced plans to collaborate with the Regional Football Associations to introduce Inter-District U-15 and U-17 festivals for boys and girls and continue the path of improving the KGL Foundation U-17 National Championship, Girls U-15 Inter Regional Challenge Cup while introducing a national U-17 Girls Challenge Cup.
The GFA aims to leverage Ghana’s massive pool of potential talent to boost on-pitch success at the domestic, continental and international levels as President Simeon-Okraku and the Executive Council remain keenly engaged on the youth development agenda.
The FA’s sharpening focus on youth football falls in tandem with FIFA’s announcement that the girls’ and boys’ FIFA U-17 World Cup will now be annual events from 2025, giving the very best young talents in every country the opportunity to shine on the global stage.
The GFA has outlined a set of key objectives geared towards enhancing participation and engagement at the grassroots level. The strategy prioritises opportunities for both male and female teenagers, emphasizing on inclusivity and accessibility to underscore the FA’s dedication to fostering a diverse and inclusive Ghanaian football landscape and thus nurture young talents and instill good values and passion for the game in them.
Defending Ghana Premier League champions, Bibiani Gold Stars, will chase revenge against Asante Kotoko when they lock horns in a top Match day 19 fixture at the Bibiani Dun’s Park today.
The hosts lost the first-round fixture 2-0; however, they currently sit second on the league table, with a point above the Porcupine Warriors, in fourth place.
Following a pulsating goalless draw with Berekum Chelsea at home last week, a result that sent shockwaves through the Reds’ camp and sparked rumours about the future of Head Coach, Karim Zito, today’s game will serve as a major test for the technical team.
In Tema, Vision FC will test the mettle of league leaders, Medeama SC, when they welcome them to the Nii Adjei Kraku II Sports Complex.
Having opened a five-point gap at the summit of the log, Medeama is looking to extend their lead with a victory today.
Ibrahim Tanko acknowledges the challenge in Tema will be different, but trusts his ‘lieutenants’ to do a good job.
After playing out a goalless draw with Asante Kotoko last week, Coach Samuel Boadu’s Berekum Chelsea will return to their Golden City Park base to host Swedru All Blacks in what locals have dubbed a ‘must-win’ game.
Lying 16th on the league log with 19 points, fans of the ‘Bibires’ are hoping their resurgence begins as they fight to climb the table.
In other games, Karela United will remain at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium to host Samartex FC, while the Dr Kwame Kyei Sports Complex host the clash between Nations FC and Aduana FC.
Bottom-placed Eleven Wonders will visit the Kpando Stadium as guests of eighth-placed Heart of Lions; Young Apostles would be at Wenchi Sports Stadium to play host to relegation-threatened Hohoe United, while Basake Holy Stars welcome Bechem United to the Ampain AAK II Sports Arena.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
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Despite the absence of Ghana at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, the country featured in conversations around the tournament from start to finish; or at least the semifinal stage.
Interestingly, not many of the countries that participated in the championship did enjoy that leverage.
Surfing either traditional, social or new media, Ghana’s name has featured prominently in several conversations, courtesy of an intense rivalry between Ghana and brothers, Nigeria.
This is because fans of the two countries have attempted to give reasons to support qualification or otherwise to AFCON.
Ghana’s failure to qualify for the AFCON was attributed to weakness, and the fact that the Black Stars have not been good enough.
Ghanaian fans, however, responded by placing bigger premium on the FIFA World Cup 2026 which Nigeria Super Eagles has failed to qualify.
So, for followers of the Black Stars, The World Cup is for the ‘big boys’, a category too strong for the Super Eagles.
This interesting ‘banter’ has dominated a few sports shows on both local and international networks with Ghanaians openly declaring support for opponents of the Super Eagles in the 2025 AFCON.
Personally, I asked a few for their reasons and the response was quite humorous. “If Nigeria wins the AFCON, Ghanaians would be dead on social media,” one said.
A Nigerian blogger also warned: “If Nigeria wins AFCON, Ghanaian soccer fans would run away from TikTok.”
At this point, one was forced to accept the social media war between soccer fans of Ghana and Naija.
A few Nigerian bloggers and content creators even reminded Ghanaian fans of their ‘brotherliness’ and the need to support each other as West Africans to keep the trophy in the face of the North African challenge.
Interestingly, the Ghana-Nigeria rivalry has transcended beyond sports and ventured into areas of hospitality where both countries are claiming to be better than the other as far as preparation of ‘jollof’ was concerned.
In an attempt to win over Ghanaian fans, a few bloggers posted videos admitting for the sake of peace, that Ghana ‘jollof’ was better.
But the protest by fans over the appointment of Ghana’s Daniel Laryea as the referee gave a new dimension to the relationship between the two sets of sporting rivals.
It started with concerns why a West African referee was appointed for such crucial tie between a West African nation and a North African opposition.
That subject changed to the assumption that since Ghanaian fans were against the Super Eagles, Referee Daniel Laryea could do their bidding by giving Nigeria a raw deal.
However, Daniel Laryea made the entire nation of Ghana proud with a solid performance in the match watched across the globe.
Many factors contributed to make the game a tensed one; host nation performing in front of thousands of home fans plus a hungry Nigerian side that was bent on causing the biggest upset of the competition.
Definitely, these circumstance could extend to affect the match officials. That notwithstanding, Daniel Laryea proved to the whole world he has what it takes to occupy the same office with some of the top referees in football.
He commanded discipline among the players; there was calm on both benches despite a few disagreement over decisions – but football is like that.
Every sincere fan that watched the game closely would admit that Daniel Laryea’s performance was one of the best in the competition and must be commended rather than condemned.
Clearly, Laryea settled the ‘jollof’ rivalry with a commanding display. What is left now is how the Black Stars keep the ‘jollof’ title delivered by Laryea in Ghana with a fine performance at the World Cup because the Nigerian fans would be following closer than they think.
By Andrew Nortey
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