Blackstars ; A Team On The Decline

Once a powerhouse of African football, the Blackstars have witnessed a sharp decline in fortunes since their last AFCON triumph in 1982. At a point where Ghana won its fourth AFCON trophy, Cameroon had none in its trophy cabinet. 35 years on, Cameroon have won five AFCON trophies-one more than Ghana. This interesting tale paints a vivid image of the state Ghana football on the continental stage; a nation relying solely on past glories. The Blackstars missed an opportunity to win the AFCON and reconnect with the Ghanaian fans after that Brazil World Cup scandal. The love-hate relationship continues !

WHAT WENT WRONG?
Greed and Money ridden national team
In recent years there have been genuine concerns about the attempt to turn the Blackstars into a money making venture. The Brazil World cup brouhaha coupled with recent bonus rows between the players and Sports Ministry gives credence to this perception. Ghanaians have openly criticized the Blackstars for their lack of patriotism and burning desire to play for the national colours yet the players have been unrepentant with their bonus demands in light of economic challenges facing the country. Certain utterances and rebuttals by some of the players were distasteful and shows a clear disregard for the Ghanaian populace. We are breeding set of overly pampered Blackstars players who have a high sense of entitlement. And we will pay a heavy price for this.

Poor player selection
The failure to select a local based outfield player to the AFCON is an indictment on the domestic league. Are the local players not good enough? Is the Blackstars a reserve for foreign based players? The questionable inclusion of Edwin Gyimah and Bernard Terkpetey raises a lot of eyebrows about the criteria for selection into the national team. Is it based on merit or favoritism? The Blackstars selection is not competitive enough, we need a wider pool of players to select from. That is the only way we guarantee players will perform at their utmost best. We cannot afford to create the situation where a few privilege players have a birth right to wear the national jersey.

NYANTAKYI OUT?
The Blackstars failings must be laid at the doorstep of the Ghana Football Association President. 13 years in active football administration is enough to make a desired impact. Kwesi Nyantakyi has overseen Nine coaches, four Presidents, twelve Sports Ministers and a combined 10 tournaments ( 3 World cups and 7 AFCON) yet his administration have fallen short of winning a trophy. The GFA has blamed everyone- Ghanaians, journalists, Sports Ministers, coaches and even some players for the woes of the Blackstars but themselves. Nyantakyi has overstayed his welcome. The GFA needs new management- a breath of fresh air and new ideas. Change is inevitable.

THE WAY FORWARD
Ghana football has taken a nose dive. The sharp decline is happening across all levels thus juvenile football, domestic league, women’s football, U17, U20 and the Blackstars. We must take the tough decisions to save our football. In that process be must be ruthless and unapologetic. For a nation with visible political and ethnic differences, we cannot afford to lose that one thing that unites us all. Key lessons must be picked from Nigeria and Cameroon’s AFCON triumph-they simply won’t bow to the egos of foreign based players. We need to sanitize the national team and bring back some level of discipline to the team. Ghanaians deserve players with strong mentality, commitment and ending desire to fight for the national colours. We have to leverage on the expertise of some of the Ex-Blackstars players and tap into their wealth of knowledge because they have a lot to offer. Calls for the appointment of a local coach is legitimate but a good measure of authority and remuneration must be given to him just like their foreign counterparts. Until then we will go full circles and there will be no progress.