On Wednesday, hundreds of soccer fans in Ghana’s capital Accra took to the streets to protest against the poor governance of football in the country.
The protest was motivated by the failure of the national football team, the Black Stars, to qualify beyond the group stage at the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations.
The protesters, who were dressed in black and red T-shirts labeled “Save Ghana football” and carrying placards, marched along the main streets of the city to express their frustration over the team’s recent poor performances at major tournaments.
Ghana, a four-time Nations Cup champion, has not won the title since 1982 and has qualified for four World Cups, reaching the quarter-finals in 2010.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA), which oversees the management of football in the country, sacked coach Chris Hughton last month after the team finished third in Group B at the Nations Cup with only two points from three matches.
Hughton, whose father was from Ghana, took over as coach in March, but he only managed to win four of his 13 matches in charge, and his position was under threat even before the start of the Nations Cup.
READ ALSO: https://thecrux.org.ng/the-elephants-receives-national-honour-and-bonuses-for-afcon-victory/
The GFA, under the leadership of Kurt Okraku, is currently searching for a new coach for the Black Stars, which will be the fifth in five years.
In a petition submitted to Parliament, the protesters demanded that President Nana Akufo-Addo launch an investigation into Ghana’s participation in the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Cup of Nations after alleging corruption and wasteful spending by the GFA during the tournaments.
They also called for a national football policy, increased investment in grassroots football, and improvements to the local league.
The protesters said, “Ghana football today is facing a dark spell in its history, an unprecedented moment that has brought global embarrassment to the brand that used to make all of us, home and abroad mighty proud.”
They added that “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. Football belongs to us, not the GFA.”
The GFA has not yet issued a statement in response to the petition or the protests.
