The President of the World Rugby Africa Association, Herbert Mensah, has expressed concern about the abysmal performance of the various national teams during tournaments.
He bemoaned the huge sums of money given to the teams when they represent the nation in international competitions yet fail to win laurels.
The former board member of Kumasi Asante Kotoko indicated that the terrible performances of the Black Stars in the Africa Cup of Nations in recent times, coupled with the athletes’ performance at the Olympic Games, is worrying.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-based JoyNews, Mensah stated Ghana has lost its status as a sports nation that is known globally.
“We have to look inwardly at ourselves. A great sporting nation like Ghana is no longer a great sporting nation. You go to the Olympics, we wasted taxpayers’ money; you go to [the] Commonwealth Games, we’ve wasted taxpayers’ money.
“You go to the Nations Cup (AFCON), and the amount of money that is spent, singularly on football, the political sport, is not acceptable,” he said.
Otto Addo and his players have been intensely scrutinised for their failure to qualify the Black Stars for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
Ghana lost three, drew three, and won none of their six matches played in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
The team finished bottom of Group F with just three points, while Sudan and Angola qualified from the group.
It marks the first time in 20 years that the Black Stars have not qualified for the AFCON.
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games athletics contingent also failed to win a medal, which sparked criticisms.
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