Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku has questioned the government’s commitment to the long-term development of football in the country, insisting that sustained success requires more than the efforts of the football governing body.
Ghanaian football has experienced a noticeable decline in recent years, with the fortunes of the various national teams and the Ghana Premier League coming under increasing scrutiny. Much of the criticism has been directed at the GFA over its management and development of the game.
However, appearing before Parliament’s Select Committee on Sports on Wednesday, Okraku challenged the government to take greater responsibility, arguing that the lack of essential infrastructure and investment continues to undermine the country’s football ambitions.
He acknowledged the GFA’s responsibility to provide logistics, improve playing surfaces, secure stadium facilities and recruit competent technical staff, but stressed that these measures alone cannot guarantee sustained success.
“If we are to be honest, there is a lot more that brings sustained success in football. This includes continuous investment in grassroots football, continuous investment in coach education, exposing coaches to the international market, good scouting, and good facilities (football pitches) for the kids and senior teams to play. All this we don’t have in our country,” he said.