By Former GHALCA Chairman, Joseph Yaw Appiah, has slammed the Ghana Football Association, calling them “self-centered” in their management of the sport. The Kurt Okraku-led administration has been in office for six years since assuming leadership in 2019.
However, their operations have come under constant scrutiny, with a notable decline in performance across various levels, including the Black Stars’ failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations – their first absence from the tournament since 2004.
“Is there any leadership at the GFA?”, Appiah quizzed in a Prime Take interview with Muftawu Nabila Abdulai. “They are self-centered, close circuit. Whatever they say, nobody can challenge it,” he explained.
“When you sit down and watch things going on, at times you become sad. When you talk, they will call you to Ethics Committee. “Look at the performance of the Black Stars, [other] national teams, do what is good if you don’t want people to talk.” “Everybody is afraid to talk [including Team Managers] because if you talk, your team will go [to] relegation.”
Meanwhile, the country’s football governing body are under pressure following the death of Francis Frimpong Pooley, a staunch Asante Kotoko supporter during their clash with Nsoatreman FC in week 19 of the Premier League.
Chairman of Asante Kotoko’s Interim Management Committee, Nana Apinkrah said, “It’s as if the GFA does not care” and the club will only make a return to the league if their “requests are granted.” The fatal incident led to the suspension of the division as the Ghana FA met with the 18 Premier League clubs to discuss measures to curb such acts.
