Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) Communications Director Ibrahim Sannie Daara has expressed concern over the state of football in Ghana, citing the rare agreement between the country's political parties on the issue. Speaking on Asempa FM, Daara noted that both the parliamentary Minority and Majority had criticized the state of football, despite their frequent disagreements on national issues. He warned that this unity should serve as a warning to the country's football authorities.
Daara pointed out that the concerns raised in Parliament reflected issues that had already been discussed privately by several people within Ghana's football community. He argued that some football stakeholders had been reluctant to speak openly about the problems facing the game. According to Daara, the Minority's criticism exposed what football people should have been saying themselves.
The former GFA communications director also questioned the performance of Ghana's national youth teams and their ability to produce players capable of progressing to the senior national side. He said he had spoken to several people within the football community who were concerned about the performances of the youth teams and the limited number of players progressing from those teams into the Black Stars.
Daara called for greater honesty among football stakeholders when assessing the state of Ghana's national teams and the country's player-development system. He emphasized that if stakeholders were not being honest with themselves, then they were not being honest at all. His comments come at a time of growing scrutiny of Ghana's football administration following the Black Stars' difficult start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
The Black Stars lost 2-0 to Ivory Coast in their opening Group C qualifier before facing Gambia in Accra, increasing pressure on the team to improve its position in the group. This has led to growing concerns about the team's performance and the country's football administration.
Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams is expected to hold a crisis meeting with the GFA leadership to discuss the state of football in the country and the Black Stars' start to the AFCON qualifiers. The meeting aims to address the concerns raised by stakeholders and find solutions to the problems facing Ghana's football.
Daara's comments have sparked a renewed debate about the state of football in Ghana, with stakeholders calling for greater accountability and transparency within the GFA. As the country's football authorities prepare for the crisis meeting, they will need to address the concerns raised by stakeholders and find ways to improve the performance of the national teams.
Key points
- Ibrahim Sannie Daara urges GFA to address concerns over Ghana football.
- Ghana's political parties unite over concerns about the state of football.
- GFA faces growing scrutiny over Black Stars' poor performance in AFCON qualifiers.
