Former Sports Minister Elvis Afriyie Ankrah has stressed the importance of developing the junior national teams to serve as a good production line for the Black Stars.
Afriyie Ankrah’s comments reflect his commitment to youth development in Ghanaian football, emphasizing the long-term benefits of investing in the growth and progression of young players to represent the Black Stars at the highest level.
In an exclusive interview with GHOne Sports, Mr Afriyie Ankrah emphasized the need for stakeholders to come together and propose a more effective plan for the future of the Black Stars.
“For the first time, countries like Sudan, Comoros are qualifying for AFCON. It means there’s a problem. And so I think that all the stakeholders should come together and let’s have an analytical, sober conversation, those who need to take responsibility, should take responsibility. Because we can’t continue like this. And as that is going on, we need to now begin to look at the satellites and the starlets. Because the team that brought us glory, what was their source? They came from the satellite, Abedi and Co. what is the state of the satellites today? So as we are having problems with the Black satellites today, we need to be thinking far in the next three, five years. Who are the players that we are nurturing?” he stated.
Afriyie Ankrah emphasized the importance of proper preparation and strategy in identifying and winning matches, stating that weak fundamentals can expose one’s weaknesses and hinder their chances of success in tournaments.
“What systems have been put in place to be able to identify them, put in place a strategy? What tournament? Who they go to? Should we even decide that for the next one or two years, let’s have a hiatus? we go to tournaments, raise expectations, and we feel entitled to win every match. No, if you don’t prepare, you will not win. It’s as simple as that. When the fundamentals of your preparation are weak, the results will expose you” he told GHOne TV.
Ghana recorded no win in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers which resulted in them not qualifying for the final tournament.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Christian Kobby Quarshie
