Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) Vice President George Afriyie expressed disappointment over the refusal of current GFA President Kurt Okraku to step down, attributing this to what he perceives as a lack of introspection.
Afriyie highlighted the national team’s declining performance in major tournaments, suggesting this slump is reflected in recent FIFA rankings under Okraku’s tenure.
Afriyie also raised concerns about the integrity of Ghana’s top-flight league, alleging widespread manipulation influenced by members of the GFA Executive Council, which he says is undermining the league’s credibility.
In a recent interview with Citi Sports, Afriyie aligned with the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) President Kudjoe Fianoo’s earlier call for Okraku to resign, emphasizing the need for leadership change to address the GFA’s challenges.
“I’m saying that elsewhere is that not what is done if you fail to deliver you just resign and it’s done but it’s not typical in a Ghanaian DNA so for that me I know that will not happen so that’s why I will not even bother with my time to call him to resign because he won’t resign.
“I mean for those in administration they think that they are doing very very very well but people like Mr. Kudjoe Fianoo has been around for so many years and know how Ghana football has been run over the years and that if Mr Fianoo says Kurt Okraku has failed, that’s a fact.”
“First of all in our leagues, they should take their hands off the running of the Premier League. The Premier League and the Division 1 League is being manipulated. There are too many manipulations.”
When Kurt Okraku assumed office in October 2019, the Black Stars were ranked 51st in the world and 7th in Africa.
Fast forward to 2024, and Ghana now finds itself ranked 73rd globally and 14th on the continent.
The Black Stars have failed to win a single match in their last two AFCON tournaments, despite facing opponents ranked much lower than them, such as Gabon (84th), Comoros (118th), Mozambique (99th), and Cape Verde (65th).
