Our football politics has developed a familiar script following two defeats in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers — a 2-0 reverse at Côte d’Ivoire and an ignominious 4-2 home defeat to Gambia.

Traditionally, when the Black Stars win, politicians (mostly in power) are eager to associate themselves with that success. When they lose, the search for accountability can quickly become a political exercise, with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and its President frequently placed in the dock.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the two dominant political parties, have both participated in this culture in which football administration becomes a convenient subject of political intervention.

Their public statements, demands for investigations and calls for administrative reform raise a fundamental question: where does legitimate political oversight end and interference in football governance begin?

November 19, 2024: Blaming the NPP government for the decline of Black Stars

At a campaign rally in Akim Oda, then-NDC flagbearer John Mahama linked the Black Stars' failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations to the NPP government's record.

“We have lost everything. Even the Black Stars team, which we used as our source of entertainment, is now in its worst state,” said the then ex-Ghanaian president.

He continued: “For the past 20 years, anytime it is time for AFCON, the Black Stars will take part. But we have failed to even make it through qualifiers. We allowed ourselves and the likes of Sudan, a war-torn country that has qualified for AFCON, and Black Stars couldn’t. It is all because of the bad governance we have been subjected to for the past eight years.”

In January 2024, NDC parliamentary candidate Edem Agbana alleged that Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a prominent figure associated with the NPP, had influenced the appointment of Chris Hughton as the Black Stars head coach due to their personal relationship.

30 September 2026 statement of the (NPP) Minority Caucus in Parliament on the Black Stars

The statement issued by Vincent Ekow Assafuah, the Ranking Member of Parliament for the Youth and Sports Committee, also called for an independent technical and administrative audit of the Black Stars and the structures supporting the national teams. Other demands included a review of the GFA's governance and accountability framework, player selection, technical appointments, national-team expenditure and Ghana's long-term football development strategy.

Seth Panwum, the NPP's spokesperson on sports and a former National Sports Authority CEO, called for Kurt Okraku to resign. He argued that the result reflected deeper problems in football management, preparation and technical direction. Panwum's criticism represents a legitimate political position in a democratic society.

Maybe Kurt Okraku shot himself in the foot when he made these statements in an attempt to please President Mahama.

“The reset agenda [of the NDC] has also had a positive impact on the Black Stars. I am sure His Excellency hasn’t taken notice that beyond his visits before we played against Chad and after that Ghana has not lost any competitive match.’’

The more important question is whether the demand for a president's resignation is supported by a broader assessment of the GFA's governance, or whether a damaging match result has become the principal basis for judging the entire institution.

One of the most persistent sources of friction is the assumption that because the government finances the national teams, it should have the power to determine how the GFA is run.

This argument is politically attractive simply because the Black Stars are a national symbol and their participation in international competitions often entails substantial public expenditure.

But the funding relationship requires closer examination.

In September 2024, Okraku appeared before Parliament's Select Committee on Sports following the Save Ghana Football protest. He rejected the suggestion that government funding for national team activities constituted government financing of the GFA's general operations. He explained that national team expenditure was channelled through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which handled statutory payments, rather than being paid directly into the GFA's accounts.

Criticism of the GFA president can be entirely legitimate, but the political value of assigning blame should not be confused with a comprehensive explanation of the Black Stars' performance.

The GFA's leadership should be assessed on governance, administration, development programmes and the conditions it creates for national teams.

It is worth noting that both the NPP and the NDC have had opportunities to influence the country's sports policy while in government. Their respective records should therefore be assessed not only by their public criticism of football administrators but also by the funding arrangements, infrastructure projects, governance reforms, and institutional safeguards implemented during their time in office.

The government has a significant role in providing infrastructure, supporting youth development, establishing transparent funding arrangements and ensuring that public expenditure is subject to appropriate scrutiny.

I know the GFA recognises that institutional independence cannot serve as a rhetorical defence against legitimate questions about expenditure, administrative decisions, or the performance of its development programmes.

The central challenge for Ghana is therefore not choosing between politicians and football administrators. It is establishing a relationship in which each institution understands the limits of its authority and accepts responsibility for its own decisions.

Ghana football does not need an untouchable or politically controlled association. It needs a governing body that is independent enough to make football decisions without partisan pressure, transparent enough to withstand public scrutiny and accountable enough to earn the confidence of the people whose national teams it administers. Until the NPP and NDC apply these principles consistently, the GFA will remain vulnerable to the same cycle: political intervention when authority is contested, public accusations when results disappoint and renewed