That Ghana football has been on the decline for many years now is no secret; it is like stating what is obvious to every follower of the game.

It is a situation the blind can see; the deaf can hear about and even a person suf­fering a speech impairment (Mutism) can utter some­thing about.

What is, however, not known is exactly when Gha­na’s enviable ‘birth right’ as a continental super power in football was lost.

The degeneration did not start today. It started many years ago under the supervi­sion or the watchful eyes of the same stakeholders that called themselves ‘football people.’

Together with other stakeholders that carve a living out of this game that brought joy and happiness to many homes when clubs or the national teams per­form ex­cellently at the interna­tional stage, the game of football in Ghana has been brought to its knees through certain ac­tions and inactions.

It is no longer appealing to the ordinary Ghanaian soccer fan again and that may best explain why the craze for the typical ‘agoro’ soccer iden­tified with Ghanaian teams, has lost its appeal not only at the con­tinental level but the world at large.

Gone were the days when Ghana was guaranteed two slots each in the now christened Confederation of African Football (CAF) Clubs Champions League and Con­federations Cup tournament.

That platform used to be a regular ‘playground’ for the nation’s traditional out­fits, Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko who were mostly at the forefront of Ghana’s rich club football history.

For over a decade now, that privilege has gone and does not seem to be coming soon. This is because our performance at the conti­nental level keep sinking.

But of much concern for football administrators in the country should be the ab­sence of Ghanaian teams in the newly introduced Africa Football League (AFL).

The maiden edition ended last two weeks with South African champions, Mamelodi Sundowns as the winners.

Teams selected for the inaugural edition include Enyimba FC (Nigeria), Wydad AC (Morocco), Mamelodi Sundowns FC (South Afri­ca), TP Mazembe (DR Con­go), Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia), and Atlético Petróleos de Luanda (Ango­la).

These were teams Hearts and Kotoko used to rub shoulders with.

Currently, they do not appear to be competitors at any level. While these clubs have managed to stay relevant and in the thick of affairs in their respective countries, it is not the case for Hearts and Kotoko who struggle every season with clubs that can comfortably be branded as their ‘grandchildren.’

Other representatives like Aduana Stars, Medeama SC, Dreams FC, Bechem United and others have attempted to stake a claim for Ghana but to no avail.

The winner for the inau­gural edition took home a whopping amount of $4 mil­lion while the runner-up got $3 million and $1.7 million and $1 million reserved for semi-finalists and quarter-fi­nalists, respectively. These are amounts that can change the fortunes of these clubs.

On Thursday, the Afri­can Club Association (ACA), consisting of some of Africa’s finest football clubs was launched at the CAF Head­quarters in Cairo.

The ACA hopes to bring together stakeholders from across the African football landscape, fostering col­laboration, innovation, and excellence within the conti­nent’s club football scene.

Heads of these clubs are known as African Club Chairmen. They lead the formation of the ACA which objectives include protecting and promoting the interest of African football clubs, and ensuring that African football clubs were commercially viable, globally competitive and profitable.

Is it not heartbreaking for all these major interventions in African football to be hap­pening without any mention of Ghana and any of the top clubs?

This speaks of the di­rection Ghana football has taken and the earlier the wheel was re-invented, the better it will be for us. Ghana needs her clubs at the pinnacle of African football.

 By Andrew Nortey