Karim Zito, coach of Dreams FC, has dismissed assertions that Ghanaian football is dead, following his team’s remarkable victory against Stade Malien in the CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday.
Despite being the underdogs, the holders of the Ghanaian FA Cup secured a memorable win in Bamako, marking the first time in two decades that a Ghanaian club has won a knockout phase match away from home. The last such feat was achieved by King Faisal against Zimbabwean side Dynamos FC in 2004.
While there have been murmurs about the decline of Ghanaian football, largely fueled by the disappointing performances of the Black Stars, Zito insists such claims are unfounded.
In an interview with Onua Maakye Sports, Zito argued, “Ghana football is not dead! The indices does not point to a product that is dead.”
He pointed to recent successes in both national and club football, highlighting achievements such as Ghana’s gold medals in both men’s and women’s divisions at the All Africa Games, victories in the WAFU and CAF U20 tournaments, and the impressive performances of clubs like Dreams FC and Medeama in Africa.
“Ghana football is not dead! The indices does not point to a product that is dead,” he told Onua Maakye Sports
“We’ve seen the performance of Dreams FC and also Medeama for instance in Africa. We just won the gold in both men and women divisions in the All Africa Games. We’ve won the WAFU and CAF U20 boys as well. How can football be dead when successes are being chalked?,” he quizzed.
Zito emphasized the quality of players and the league in Ghana, citing Dreams FC’s dual success in the CAF Confederation Cup and their domestic league campaign as evidence of the competitiveness of Ghanaian football.
“Dreams FC, which is in the quarter-final of the CAF Confederation Cup, are battling relegation in the domestic top-flight. That should tell you the quality of players and the league we have at the moment,” he asserted.
As Dreams FC gears up for the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final, Zito remains optimistic about the future of Ghanaian football, emphasizing that while there is room for improvement, the sport is far from dead.
