The Ghana Football Association's handling of the Black Stars under its President, Kurt Okraku has reached a point where even most loyal supporters are struggling to defend the decision-making that has characterised the past seven years.
As Ghana prepares to face Somalia in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers next month, the national team appears to be in desperate need of salvation, even if only temporary. The roots of the problem did not begin with the latest coaching reshuffle. It is traceable to the moment the FA President, Kurt Okraku boldly declared that coaches would not be the sole decisionmakers regarding player selection for the national teams.
At the time, many dismissed the statement as harmless rhetoric. I did not. Today, however, the consequences of that philosophy are evident. It has contributed to an environment where coaching authority is compromised and technical leadership weakened.
For me, it is the single most damaging issue facing Ghana football today. From a succession of short-term decisions to appointments that have been driven more by convenience than a coherent long-term vision, the administration has consistently projected an air of certainty while delivering disappointing results.
The return of Otto Addo reinforced perceptions of a leadership structure unwilling to critically assess its own decisions. The man was given the coaching job although he fell short of the GFA’s own requirements. We have run in circles for the last seven years, spending quite well but achieving nothing either in so-called intangibles or trophies.
To be fair, football can often be unpredictable. So, it is okay to give the latest interim technical team a chance. Sometimes solutions emerge from unexpected places. Yet the very fact that Ghana finds itself making another emergency appointment underscores the extent of the administrative failings that have brought the Black Stars to this point.
What makes the situation particularly frustrating is that many of these setbacks are from self-inflicted wounds. Worse still, there is little acknowledgment of mistakes or a desire to learn from them. As Kim Lars Bjorkegren, Ibrahim Tanko, and Godwin Attram take up their interim responsibilities, we can only hope they provide the respite the Black Stars need.
Expectations may be low and their tenure certainly brief, but for now they represent yet another attempt to rescue the Black Stars from a crisis largely of its own making – the making of those mandated to manage it in trust of Ghanaians.