The debate over the future of Ghana Football Association president Kurt Okraku has taken a sharper turn after Aduana FC General Manager Takyi Arhin publicly declared his readiness to support Okraku if he decides to seek a third term.
Takyi Arhin, popularly known as “Thunder”, has dismissed the growing calls for Okraku to step aside and has gone as far as challenging anyone interested in contesting the GFA presidency to enter the race.
His comments come at a time when Okraku and the GFA administration are facing mounting criticism over the recent performance of Ghana’s national teams.
The Black Stars failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and have started the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign with defeats to Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia, leaving Ghana without a point from its opening two matches.
Rather than seeing the current crisis as a reason for a change in leadership, however, Takyi Arhin has presented a completely different position.
He believes those preparing to challenge Okraku could be heading for disappointment if the GFA president decides to contest again.
“Anyone who wants to contest Kurt Okraku is welcome but I can assure you that it’ll be an exercise in futility,” Takyi Arhin said.
The Aduana FC general manager went further by making his personal position on a possible third term clear.
“If Kurt Okraku decides to contest, I’ll support his third term bid. I even want more people to join the race, so they’ll lose their votes,” he stated.
The comments have added another layer to the increasingly heated discussion surrounding Okraku’s future at the GFA, particularly as criticism of his administration continues to grow following the Black Stars’ recent setbacks.
Takyi Arhin also accused some people within Ghana football of waiting for Okraku’s administration to fail before positioning themselves to challenge him.
“A lot of people are sitting on the fence waiting for Kurt Okraku to fail so that they jump in. I just want to tell them that if they’ve not joined us, they’ll sit on the fence till thy kingdom come,” he said.
His remarks effectively turn the leadership debate into a direct challenge to anyone considering a campaign against the incumbent.
But the comments come against a difficult sporting background for the GFA.
Ghana’s failure to qualify for the 2025 AFCON ended a long-standing run of participation in the tournament, while the Black Stars’ opening defeats in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers have intensified concerns about the direction of the national team.
The 4-2 home defeat to The Gambia, in particular, has triggered renewed calls for accountability and changes within Ghana football.
There have also been concerns over the performance of some of Ghana’s youth national teams, with the wider national-team structure coming under scrutiny.
Despite these concerns, Takyi Arhin insists that Okraku’s record should not be judged solely through the performance of the Black Stars.
In separate comments, he argued that the GFA’s administrative responsibilities should be distinguished from the performance of the national team, insisting that the state also has a role to play in funding and supporting Ghana’s national teams.
“I don’t see why people should use Black Stars as a yardstick to measure Kurt Okraku,” he said.
“It’s high time we decouple the work of the GFA from that of the national team. The GFA is just a custodian of the national team; all national teams belong to the state,” he added.
Takyi Arhin has also pointed to financial support given to clubs under Okraku’s administration as evidence of what he considers achievements of the current GFA leadership.
He said football clubs and administrators appreciate Okraku for financial and logistical support, including reported financial assistance to Premier League and Division One clubs.
“We’re so much in love with Kurt Okraku for everything he’s done for us,” he said in another interview.
He cited the distribution of funds, boots, footballs, jerseys and fuel support as examples of assistance received by clubs under the current administration.
However, the defence of Okraku has also exposed a clear division within Aduana FC itself over the GFA president’s possible third-term ambition.
Aduana FC CEO Atta Poku recently took a different position, publicly stating that he does not support Okraku seeking a third term.
Atta Poku said he believes Okraku should complete his current mandate and make his position on a third term clear to Ghanaian football stakeholders.
The contrasting positions from two senior figures associated with Aduana FC underline the intensity of the debate over Okraku’s future.
While Takyi Arhin is openly backing a third-term bid and predicting that potential challengers would fail, Atta Poku has publicly opposed such an extension.
The disagreement comes at a crucial period for the GFA, with attention now focused on whether Okraku will seek another term and how the association will respond to the growing demands for accountability.
For his supporters, the argument is that the GFA administration has made progress in areas including club support, administration and commercial development.
For critics, the recent struggles of the Black Stars and other national teams raise broader questions about the effectiveness of the football administration and whether a change in leadership is necessary.
What is certain is that the debate over Okraku’s future is no longer a quiet discussion within Ghana football.
Takyi Arhin’s remarks have brought the issue into the open, with his declaration that he will support Okraku if he contests a third term and his warning that potential challengers could be left waiting “till thy kingdom come.”
The coming months are therefore likely to produce an even more intense contest over the direction of Ghana football, particularly if Okraku formally decides to seek another term.
