IN a passionate display of discontent, hundreds of soccer fans flooded the streets of Accra, Ghana’s capital, on Wednesday, demanding urgent reforms in football governance following the national team’s disappointing performance in this year’s Africa Cup of Nations. Clad in black and red T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan ‘Save Ghana football’ and brandishing placards, the demonstrators marched through the city’s main thoroughfares to voice their frustration over the Black Stars’ early exit from the tournament.
Despite boasting a rich footballing history as four-time champions of the Nations Cup, Ghana has struggled to replicate past successes, with its last victory dating back to 1982. While the team has secured qualification for four FIFA World Cups and reached the quarter-finals in 2010, recent major tournaments have seen a decline in performance, prompting public outcry.
‘The clarion call is that we have a unique opportunity as a nation to make changes to our current structure that runs our football in our quest to whip the game back to where it belongs,’ emphasised one of the lead conveners, Saddick Adams.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) took decisive action last month by dismissing coach Chris Hughton after the team’s lacklustre showing in Group B of the Nations Cup, where they managed just two points from three matches. Hughton, who took charge in March, faced mounting pressure throughout his tenure, winning only four of his 13 matches at the helm.
‘With Ghana football facing a dark spell in its history, an unprecedented moment has brought global embarrassment to the brand that used to make all of us, home and abroad, mighty proud,’ remarked the protesters in a petition submitted to Parliament.
With the GFA now on the hunt for its fifth Black Stars coach in as many years under the leadership of Kurt Okraku, protesters seized the opportunity to voice their grievances, emphasizing the need for systemic changes to revitalize the nation’s football landscape.
‘Football belongs to us, not the GFA,’ Saddick Adams stressed, underlining the collective responsibility to restore Ghanaian football to its former glory. Despite attempts to reach the GFA for comment, the association was not immediately available to respond to the protesters’ demands.
(with Reuters)