Deputy Sports Minister Vincent Oppong Asamoah has fueled the sour relation they have with the Ghana Football Association descending on them heavily to perform their duties well.
To him, the core mandate of the Ghana FA is the development of football insisting they should focus on the development of youth football if the nation’s strong football credentials are to be sustained.
The Deputy Minister argues that Ghana has lost the identity of developing footballers at the youthful stage mentioning the days of Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Sammy Osei Kuffuor etc as examples.
Speaking to Class Sports about the importance of youth football in the country, Mr. Oppong Asamoah said: “We started very well at the youth level. But not now.”
“You measure the development aspect of every football nation by looking at their youth policies.
“Black Stars players can be invited from all parts of the world to have a senior national team but the grass root forms the foundation of every footballing nation.
So if we are not getting that right, then the future of football might not go well,” he added.
Ghana’s last success in a youth competition came in 2009 when the Black Satellites then led by Swansea star Dede Ayew clinched the FIFA Youth Championship in Egypt.
The 2009 gold winning team produced stars including Agyemang-Badu, Rabiu Mohammed, Jonathan Mensah and others who are now playing for the senior national team.