Ghana Football Association (GFA) Communications Manager Sheikh Tophic Abdul-Kadir Sienu has called for a shift in focus towards long-term player development at the national U-17 and U-20 levels, insisting that winning tournaments should not be the primary measure of success in youth football.
Sienu believes youth competitions should serve as important platforms for identifying talented players, nurturing their abilities and preparing them for the demands of senior international football.
According to him, the real value of youth football goes beyond the trophies won and the results recorded during competitions. He argues that these teams should provide an environment where promising footballers can develop the technical, tactical and mental qualities required to progress to the senior national team.
“If you talk to a true football person, at the U-17 and U-20 level, the main objective should not be to win tournaments. It is an environment that should be used to scout players and prepare them for the future,” Sienu said on Citi Sports.
His comments highlight the importance of adopting a development-centred approach to youth football, where the growth of individual players is given considerable attention alongside team performance.
At the U-17 and U-20 levels, players are still developing and require opportunities to gain competitive experience, improve their understanding of the game and adapt to different tactical systems. These competitions can also help coaches and technical officials assess players who have the potential to represent the senior national team in the future.
Sienu’s position suggests that success at these levels should not be judged exclusively by whether Ghana wins a tournament. Instead, the ability to identify and prepare players who can eventually make meaningful contributions to the senior national team should form a major part of the assessment.
A strong youth development system can provide a pathway for talented players to progress through the national teams, helping to establish continuity between the U-17, U-20 and senior sides.
Such an approach also places emphasis on scouting, coaching, player education and consistent development opportunities, rather than relying solely on short-term tournament outcomes.
For Ghana, which has a history of competing in youth football, the issue of translating success at junior level into sustained achievements with the senior national team remains an important part of discussions about the country’s football development.
Sienu’s remarks on Citi Sports therefore reinforce the need to view youth competitions as part of a broader football development strategy, with the long-term objective of producing technically gifted, tactically disciplined and internationally competitive players.
His argument does not dismiss the importance of winning matches or tournaments. Rather, it places results within a wider framework in which the development and future progression of young footballers remain central to the purpose of the U-17 and U-20 national teams.
