Sports
Time to change direction, GFA
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
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.
