By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Keta (V/R) Sept. 30, GNA-Some football fans in Keta have expressed disappointment following the Black Stars’ 2-4 defeat to The Gambia in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match, with a call on government to intervene and dissolve the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
The result leaves the four-time African champions struggling in Group C of the qualifiers, a group that also includes Côte d’Ivoire and Somalia, and further deepened concern among supporters about the direction of the national team’s qualification campaign.
Mr Solomon Lokodza, a fan who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) called for drastic measures within the leadership of Ghana Football Association and demanded for the dissolution of the football governing body and the immediate dismissal of head coach Carlos Queiroz.
“The recurring pattern of poor results under different coaches points to deeper structural problems within Ghana football administration rather than isolated coaching failures. The problem Ghana football has is beyond the playing body, ” he said.
He noted that the GFA has engaged as many as seven head coaches for the Black Stars within the last seven years, a statistic he said reflected instability and a lack of long-term strategic planning at the helm of the national team.
Mr Lokodza explained that the constant changing of coaches has been accompanied by frequent changes in player call-ups, which contributed to a lack of continuity, cohesion and a clearly defined style of play for the senior national team, and a defeat to Gambia clearly revealed and exposed the GFA, the coach and the entire playing body.
He said:”The absence of an established system or footballing philosophy that transcends individual coaches is one of the problems we have. The team continues to lack identity in terms of tactical approach and playing style on the continental and global stage, how can Black Stars lose a match to Gambia by 4 to 2,”
Mr Israel Azasoo, another fan also pointed to the slow pace of development at the grassroots level and within the domestic leagues and described the situation as a root cause of the technical and tactical shortcomings often exhibited by the senior national team.
He called on the GFA and relevant football authorities to invest more resources into strengthening grassroots football structures and the domestic league, which he said would be essential to producing home-grown talent capable of sustaining the national team’s competitiveness.
Some fans, however, cautioned against hasty decisions, and urged the technical team and management to be given the opportunity to assess the loss and make the necessary corrections ahead of subsequent qualifying matches.
They appealed to other fans to remain supportive of the team despite the setback, while also pressing for the need for accountability and a comprehensive review of the technical and administrative direction of Ghana football.
As reactions to the defeat continue to trend among the football fans in Keta, attention would now turn to how the Black Stars would regroup ahead of their remaining group matches in the race to qualify for the 2027 AFCON tournament after missing out in the previous tournament hosted by Morocco.
After the first two 2027 AFCON qualifying matches, the Black Stars conceded 6 goals, scored two goals with no point and are currently at the bottom of Ground C, while the friendly matched against Morocco has been cancelled as well.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah