Former Black Stars head coach Chris Hughton has called on the Ghanaian government to invest more heavily in football infrastructure and the domestic game, warning that a lack of support is contributing to the country’s declining fortunes on the continental stage.
The former Newcastle United and Brighton manager believes Ghana can no longer rely on its rich football history, insisting that other African nations have made significant progress while the country’s football structures have stagnated.
His comments come at a difficult time for the Black Stars, who are in danger of missing a second successive Africa Cup of Nations after losing their opening two matches of the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign against Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC, Hughton reflected on Ghana’s changing status in African football.
“Many years ago Ghana were at a level that was, if not the best team in Africa, certainly right up there.”
The 67-year-old acknowledged the rapid improvement of several African nations and stressed that Ghana must respond by strengthening its football foundations.
“You’ve seen the emergence of so many other good African nations that have made the competition levels that much higher.”
“Some of these countries have so many other problems, but I do think that there needs to be an injection of government money into the structure and into the system.”
Hughton also expressed concern over the state of the Ghana Premier League, arguing that poor infrastructure and dwindling fan attendance are hindering the growth of the domestic game.
According to him, the local league, once a reliable production line for national team players, no longer enjoys the support it previously received.
“In Ghana, the local game that used to produce so many good players, the support level is not there.”
“They’re playing on pitches that are not of a great level and the supporters are not coming.”
“The supporters in Ghana love the Black Stars most, first and foremost, and of course the Premier League is massive there, but there isn’t that support for the local game that there used to be.”
“I think the government needs to do more as regards putting money into the infrastructure.”
Hughton’s remarks come as the Black Stars seek to revive their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign under interim head coach Kim Lars Björkegren, following the departure of Carlos Queiroz.
The four-time African champions are bottom of Group C without a point after two matches and face a must-win double-header against Somalia at the Essipong Sports Stadium.
Victory in both fixtures is crucial if Ghana are to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be hosted jointly by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
