FIFA president Gianni Infantino
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has lauded Ghana’s significant strides in football development over the past decade, attributing much of the progress to the strategic utilization of FIFA’s Forward and other support programs.
His comments highlight a period of remarkable growth, marked by infrastructure improvements and increased participation, particularly in women’s football.
Infantino noted that the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence, Ghana’s national technical hub, has undergone substantial upgrades.
This includes the installation of new floodlights, the addition of a 30-bed accommodation facility for teams, and the construction of both artificial and natural turf pitches. Furthermore, a new technical center has been inaugurated in Winkogo, expanding facilities to the northern region of the country.
A key focus of this development has been President Kurt Okraku’s dedicated efforts, supported by the FIFA Talent Development Scheme, to boost participation across all levels, with a special emphasis on women’s football. This concentrated push has evidently paid dividends.
“Ghana has been one of the Member Associations who have made excellent use of the FIFA Forward and other FIFA Support Programmes over the years. The national technical centre, Ghanaman Soccer Center of Excellence, now has new floodlights, a 30-bed accommodation for teams and two new pitches (artificial and natural turf). Another technical centre has been inaugurated in Winkogo, in northern part of the country” President Infantino noted.
“Ghana Football Association President Kurt Okraku has been working hard to ensure increased participation, especially among women, and with help from the FIFA Talent Development Scheme.”
“Women’s Football has been accelerated with support from FIFA for the National Women’s League, which has played a pivotal role in the Black Queens’ qualification for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2024. Another impressive result has been the successive qualification of the men’s senior national team to the FIFA World Cup, first in Qatar in 2022 and now Canada, Mexico and the United States this summer,” he added.
Infantino’s remarks paint a picture of a nation leveraging international partnerships to elevate its football landscape, promising an even brighter future for Ghanaian football on both continental and global stages.
