Sudan national team coach James Kwasi Appiah has urged president-elect John Dramani Mahama to prioritize the development of youth football.
He called on the National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader to invest in youth football, warning that neglecting it would have dire consequences for the country’s football future.
Appiah highlighted the lack of investment in youth football and the over-reliance on current talents as one of the major challenges for Ghanaian football.
“He [Mahama] should try to invest in the developmental level,” said Appiah as quoted by Ghanasoccernet.
“If we don’t prioritize the future and only focus on the present, there will come a time when we won’t have a future.”
He added: “I think that is one of the nation’s challenges right now because we depend on what we currently have instead of thinking about who we are developing to take over. We need to focus on that and provide the necessary support.”
Ghana’s youth national teams have struggled to meet expectations, missing out on World Cup qualifications in recent years and underperforming in African competitions.
The U-17 team has not qualified for the World Cup in seven years, while the U-20 team has not made it to the World Cup since 2015.
Additionally, the U-23 team has not qualified for the Olympics since 2004.
EE/EK
