Hundreds of Ghanaian football fans have taken over the streets of Accra, Ghana’s capital city, demanding better governance for football after their national team failed to get out of the group stage at the just-concluded 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Cote d’Ivoire.
Clad in black and red T-shirts, saying “Save Ghana football” and holding placards, the protesters marched through the main streets to show their frustration over the Black Stars’ poor performances at recent major tournaments.
Ghana, four-times Nations Cup champions but not since 1982, have qualified for four World Cup tournaments and reached the quarter-finals in 2010.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) sacked Coach Chris Hughton last month after the team finished third in Group B at the 2023 Africa Nations Cup with two points in three matches.
Hughton, whose father hailed from Ghana, took over as coach in March. He won only four of his 13 matches in charge and was under pressure going into the Cup of Nations tournament.
According to report by Reuters, GFA led by Kurt Okraku is now recruiting its fifth Blacks Stars coach in five years.
“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,” the protesters said in a petition submitted to the Parliament.
They 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 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,” the petition said.