Former Asante Kotoko board member Alhaji Abu Lamine has attributed the struggles of the Black Stars to weak football fundamentals in Ghana.
The senior national team has faced repeated disappointments on the international stage. At the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon, the Black Stars were eliminated in the group stage. Their hopes of redemption at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar ended similarly, with another early exit. Most recently, the team suffered yet another group-stage elimination at the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast.
In an interview with Asempa FM, Alhaji Lamine expressed concern over the recurring failures, highlighting structural issues within Ghanaian football as the root cause.
“We went to Cameroon and we failed to perform. The same thing happened in Qatar. We were hoping to do better in Ivory Coast, but we failed again,” he lamented. “There is something fundamentally wrong with our game, and it is about time we fix it.”
Lamine called on the government to take a more active role in addressing these challenges, emphasizing the need for investment and support to rebuild the sport’s foundation.
“We will need government to step in to help our game,” he stressed. “In the past, we had government coming on board to support coaches and our game in general, but it is not happening again. I believe we have to go back and fix the game by involving government. The fundamentals must be fixed to help revive our game.”
The Black Stars’ struggles have now reached a historic low, as the team failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON tournament for the first time in 20 years. This dismal performance in the qualifiers, with three defeats and three draws, underscores the urgency of addressing the systemic issues plaguing Ghanaian football.
