GhanaWeb Feature by Benjamin Sackey
Ghana’s senior national team, the Black Stars, have been on a downward trajectory since Kurt Okraku assumed office as the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) in October 2019.
The team reached the last 16 in the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) before he took charge of the FA.
Since then, the Black Stars have not gone beyond the group stage of various tournaments they have participated in.
This GhanaWeb Sports feature dissects how the Black Stars have performed during the five years Kurt Okraku has been in office as the president of the GFA.
Kurt Okraku is the President of the GFA
2021 AFCON
Ghana was eliminated in the group stages of the 2021 AFCON following a poor performance.
The Black Stars lost 0-1 to Morocco, drew 1-1 in the second match against Gabon, and lost 2-3 to Comoros
Ghana finished at the bottom of Group C with one point, while Morocco topped the group with 7 points, followed by Gabon with 5 points.
2022 FIFA World Cup
In the 2022 World Cup hosted in Qatar, Ghana could not make a positive impression despite having a good squad.
The Black Stars lost 2-3 to Portugal in the first game, with Cristiano Ronaldo netting a penalty.
The players did not let their guard down as they went ahead to defeat South Korea by 3-2 but unfortunately lost to Uruguay 2-0.
Ghana finished last in Group H with 3 points, while Portugal topped the group with 6 points. Uruguay and South Korea occupied the third and second positions with 4 points each.
The team exited at the group stage to the dismay of many Ghanaians.
2023 AFCON
In the 2023 African Cup of Nations, it turned out to be another disappointment as the team failed to win any of the three matches they played.
The Black Stars drew 2-2 with Mozambique, recorded the same scoreline against Egypt, and lost to Cape Verde 2-1.
Cape Verde topped Group C with seven points, Egypt in second place with three points, Ghana and Mozambique occupied the third and fourth positions with two points each, thereby failing to make it to the round of 16.
2025 AFCON Qualifiers
The disastrous performance of the Black Stars in the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers has left most Ghanaians fuming.
The Black Stars lost to Angola 1-0 at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium for the first time in a long while.
In the next game, Ghana drew 1-1 against Niger away, drew goalless against Sudan at the Accra Sports Stadium, and lost to them 2-1 in the second leg in Libya.
The Black Stars are on the brink of failing to qualify for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
After four matches played, Ghana are third in Group F with two points. Sudan are in second place with seven points, while Angola lead with twelve points.
Watch the latest episode of Sports Check with renowned boxing trainer Don Charles
SB/EK
