Save Ghana Football

As February 14^th Beckons, Many Ghanaians are Determined to Express Our Love for Our Football.

From Grown-Adults to Young-Adults and Younger Boys and Girls; Ghanaians Worldwide Seeking to Rescue Their Football from The Few Who Have Hijacked Their Once-Upon Love, Would Embark on A Protest to Express This Love Which Is Increasingly Turning into Anger.

Indeed, Valentine’s Day 2024 Shall Be A Day Ghanaians Express Their Love For Their Football In The Most Passionate Way Possible; A Protest To ‘Save Ghana Football.’

JUST LIKE SERGEANT ADJETEY, CORPORAL ATTIPOE AND PRIVATE ODARTEY-LAMPTEY MARCHED; AND NII KWABENA BONNEY INSPIRED; SIMILAR TO THE OBJECTIONS TO UNIGOV AND LATER KUMEPREKO, A MASSIVE MARCH AGAINST VALUE-ADDED TAX(VAT), GHANAAINS WOULD PROTEST THE SHEER CANKER AND CANCER WHICH HAS DEVELOPPED IN OUR FOOTBALL.

The Kumepreko Protest Was Led by Some Stakeholders in The Arena of Politics and Political Sphere and This Protest to Save Ghana’s Football Would be led by Sports Journalists and Other Active Stakeholders in The Sports Arena

Ghana Sports has seen some glory days when boxing and football particularly brought lots of joy to Ghanaians and provided an outlet of release from the stress of daily life. An era where our disappointments in the senior Black Stars was compensated by the various junior sides’ exemplary exploits both on the African Continent and beyond.

In addition, Ghana has seen its fair share of great football administrators from Ohene Djan whose name graces the stadium in the capital Accra, through the SK Mainoo/Zac Bentum period to Nana Buttler and Alhajj Jawula.

Ben Kouffie Administration
In recent past when Ghanaian football needed a reset, another administrator in the person of Ben Kouffie would take very bold steps to effect necessary changes not only to the day-to-day affairs of running football, but to Restructure the Entire Setup of the nation’s football system.

Choosing to move-on from names which had hitherto been deemed integral to Ghana and Ghanaian Football to focus on the young up and coming by nurturing new crop of talents from all over the country. From these would come some of the names from our most recent past like Stephen Appiah, Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Asamoah Gyan, Charles Taylor among others.

AT THE HEART OF BEN KOUFFIE’S BOLD RESTRUCTURE WAS FOCUSING ON “HOME GROWN TALENTS” AS THE CORE AND FOUNDATION UPON WHICH GHANA NATIONAL TEAMS WOULD BE BUILT. THIS FOCUS MAINLY ON “HOME-GROWN TALENT” WOULD ENSURE THAT A CERTAIN FOOTBALLING CHARACTER WOULD BE BUILT AND PATRIOTISM IMBIBED AT THAT YOUNG STAGE BEFORE SEEKING OPPORTUNITES ABROAD.

ADDITIONALLY, THE GHANA PREMIER LEAGUE WOULD CONTINUE TO STAY EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE CHURNING OUT TALENT AFTER TALENT, SOME OF WHOM WOULD BE SOLD TO PLY THEIR TRADE ABROAD TO LEARN NEW SKILLS, EARN GOOD MONEY AND REPATRAITE THEIR NEWFOUND WEALTH AND FOOTBALL KNOWLEDGE TO THE HOME-NATION GHANA. THOSE WHO REMAINED HOME WOULD EQUALLY ENJOY AND BENEFIT FROM THE STAGE COMPETING ACTIVELY IN THE LEAGUE WITH QUALITY FOOTBALL.

Kwasi Nyantakyi
Kwasi Nyantakyi one of Ghana’s brightest and greatest football administrators would follow later. A young lawyer who once upon a time set a standard so high that FIFA could just not get enough of him, would continue this history of great football administrators and together with his team steer Ghana to its first dance at the FIFA World Cup in 2006.

Unfortunately, Mr. Nyantakyi would make the rather unfortunate mistake of staying too long as the head of Ghana’s Football Administration and overstaying his welcome.

For if there’s one thing peculiar about, we Ghanaians, it would be our penchant for complains and envy.

In the process committing some errors like focusing too much on the National Teams and the Ghana Black Stars predominantly, which had by then managed to turn itself from an Association of Patriots in search of Glory to a Cash-Cow and money-minting press.

All this would come at the expense of Ghana’s Premier League which was fast dwindling into something akin to the 10^th division of the French league if there is any such thing; Stifling the growth of many talents while producing a whole bunch of almost homeless players and paving the way for Nyantakyi’s detractors to administratively ‘assassinate’ him.

Well, Fellow Ghanaians, that was then, and 2024 is a new year. A Year to Withdraw Our Compassion, ‘Save Ghana Football’ and Bring Back Our Love.

God Bless Our Homeland Ghana. GYE NYAME!

By fiifi ofori