Sports
Pushing for greater visibility for Ghana football
New Ghana Premier League champions, Samartex
Football is more than just a sport.
In Ghana, the love and passion for football is undeniable. Without doubt, it is the most prominent sport in the country. Football development is crucial for the nation’s progress because it has the capacity to boosts the various local economies.
It is for this reason that institutions in society, especially the media must play active roles in its development and promotion in Ghana.
In the early days of Ghanaian football, newspapers such as the Gold Coast Gazette, Commercial Intelligencer, and The Accra Herald extensively covered local matches and players, and many others to boost the players’ profiles.
As football’s popularity surged, coverage expanded with papers like the Daily Graphic, The Ghanaian Times, and Ghana Sports featuring match reports, player profiles, and analyses, which provided a platform for local talent to shine.
However, examining the current state of local football in Ghana’s media landscape reveals a decline in coverage. This underrepresentation negatively impacts the already struggling local football in Ghana.
First and foremost, the lack of media attention discourages young talents because it would be difficult for them to be noticed by coaches and agents.
In an interview with Joshua, a division three player at Play like a Pro Academy, revealed that playing football in Ghana was not easy and local players face several obstacles.
He said, “One of the biggest challenges is that we don’t get recognised. We play well, but no one knows about it.”
Also, Giovanni Frank Gyan, a 25-year old professional footballer who currently plays for the Future Soccer Academy, underscored the importance of media coverage in marketing their skills.
He said it was unfortunate the Ghanaian media was focused on promoting foreign football stars instead of the local talents, explaining that while they look up to foreign players as role models, the local media should focus more on promoting young and upcoming footballers like himself.
The impact extends beyond players, affecting numerous local coaches as well. These coaches, who are key stakeholders in the industry and play a crucial role in nurturing talent for the sport’s development, often become discouraged from continuing their careers because their efforts are insufficiently recognised by the Ghanaian media.
The current state of local football coverage calls for immediate and concerted action.
‘Professor’ Enock Kwesi Wallace, Head of Sports at Adom FM and a seasoned Sports Journalist with Asempa FM, shared this view on the challenges facing local football and the measures necessary to promote its reportage in Ghana.
According to him, the media’s selection of football stories is guided by journalism ethics and values, prominence, proximity, and national issues.
Prof. Wallace further emphasised that the media is a commercial entity that attracts sponsors, and added that it is not their responsibility to seek sponsors for local sports men and women.
Instead, he suggested that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and local teams should make themselves more accessible; utilise various stakeholders; advertise; and implement e-ticketing to promote themselves.
To increase visibility and accessibility, Mr Wallace further proposed partnership with churches, as seen in Nigeria and Congo Brazzaville, where football clubs were established by churches. This innovative approach, he said, can bridge the gap between local sports and the community.
In essence, promoting local football requires a collective effort from all stakeholders; the media, GFA and sponsors. These stakeholders must work together to give local football teams the recognition they deserve.
In conclusion, the underrepresentation of local football in the media poses a significant national concern that demands urgent action. Therefore, the media must assume the essential responsibility of delivering regular, thorough, and captivating football coverage. It is crucial for all stakeholders to unite in backing our local football talents, ensuring that the sport flourishes for future generations.
*The author is a student of the University of Media, Arts and Communication- Institute of Journalism (UniMAC-IJ) Faculty of Journalism and Media Studies.
Email: a.augustina020@gmail.com
By Augustina Dede Anang
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.
