Ghana FA To Conduct Research Into Penalty Woes

The technical directorate of the Ghana Football Association has confirmed that they will conduct research into Ghana's penalty woes.

The senior national team, the Black Stars have struggled to win on penalty shootout since 1982.

After 18 penalties played, the Black Stars have won only 7 times and have lost 11 times according to records.

In 2019 only, the Black Stars of Ghana lost to Tunisia in the round of 16 during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

The local Black Stars also lost to Senegal on penalties in the 2019 WAFU Championship in Dakar.

During the just ended CAF U-23 Championship in Egypt, the Black Meteors lost to Ivory Coast on penalties to book automatic qualifications to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

In the third and fourth place against South Africa, the Black Meteors again lost on penalties.

According to Professor Joseph Kwame Mintah, a professor at the University of Cape Coast and also the President of Ghana Coaches Association beleives in order to overcome this misery, there should be adherence to the basic principles of taking penalties because ‘penalty is an art.’

However, in an interview with Accra based Angel FM, the technical director of Ghana Football Association, Coach Francis Oti Akenteng, revealed that a research will be conducted into the penalty woes in order to find a lasting solution to this challenge.

He indicated that a professor at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has approached the Ghana Football Association (GFA) about a work he has done on penalties and the GFA will soon contact him on his research.

“We will do a research into penalty shootouts. Fortunately, a Doctor at the University of Cape Coast has done an extensive research on penalty shootouts. We will soon engage him,” he said.

Oti Akenten thereafter responded to the rumors that the new Ghana FA president has decided to bring in foreigners to run the technical directorate.

He said Ghana has knowledgeable persons who can administer that department of the FA.

“We have very knowledgeable people here who can run the affairs of the technical directorate but if the GFA decides to bring in foreigners to run the Technical Directorate," he added.