I would dissolve the GFA if I were Sports Minister - Nii Lante
Former Youth and Sports Minister, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has expressed his strong dissatisfaction with the Ghana Football Association (GFA), stating that he would dissolve the governing body if he were the Sports Minister.
Speaking on Pure FM, Vanderpuye criticized the GFA's performance since its leadership assumed office in 2019, describing it as the worst period in the history of Ghanaian football.
He cited the poor performances of the Black Stars across multiple tournaments as evidence of the GFA's failure.
A Decline in Performance
Since the GFA's current administration began, the Black Stars have struggled on both continental and global stages:
In the 2019 AFCON, Ghana exited in the Round of 16, shortly before the current GFA leadership took office. At the 2021 AFCON, Ghana failed to win a single match, losing to Morocco (1-0), drawing with Gabon (1-1), and suffering a shock defeat to Comoros (3-2). In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Ghana lost to Portugal (3-2), defeated South Korea (3-2), but fell to Uruguay (2-0) and exited at the group stage. Most recently, in the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast, Ghana failed to progress beyond the group stage again, drawing with Mozambique (2-2) and Egypt (2-2) before losing to Cape Verde (2-1).
Call for Structural Change
Mr. Vanderpuye attributed the national team's struggles to systemic issues within the GFA and criticized the practice of firing head coaches as a scapegoat for the association's broader failures.
"Why should we allow the GFA to keep sacking coaches as a cover-up for their incompetence?
Not even Pep Guardiola or Jürgen Klopp would succeed if the structure at the GFA remains unchanged," he argued.
A Bold Proposal
Vanderpuye asserted that dissolving the GFA, even at the risk of sanctions from FIFA, would be a necessary step to rebuild Ghana's football.
"I would dissolve the Ghana Football Association without fear of FIFA sanctions.
We haven’t qualified for the AFCON or the World Cup anyway.
I would use the suspension period to restructure and build a stronger Black Stars for future qualifiers," he said.
Looking Ahead
The Black Stars’ next competitive match is scheduled for March 2025 against Chad in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
However, calls for reform in Ghana football, as echoed by Vanderpuye, continue to gain traction as fans and stakeholders grow increasingly frustrated with the team's underperformance.
Source: Classfmonline.com
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