President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has committed the government’s backing to assist the Black Stars and their technical staff in achieving success at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in La Cote D’Ivoire.
He emphasized that it has been four decades since the nation secured any football honors, urging both players and the technical team to exert their utmost efforts to overcome this longstanding challenge in the upcoming tournament.
“It’s been forty-one years since Ghana won the Africa Cup of Nations. If my memory serves me right, we have played in a couple of finals in recent times and lost on penalties in 2015. Expectations are very high, so let’s do our best to make this tournament a success” He said
President Akufo-Addo provided this assurance during a meeting with the Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) at the Jubilee House in Accra on Wednesday. The purpose of the meeting was to formally introduce the newly elected Council members and to seek the President’s support as they work towards ensuring fair and effective leadership to elevate Ghana Football to its former glory.
The new Executive Council, elected on October 5, 2023, during an elective congress in Tamale, will serve a four-year term. The delegation, led by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, included GFA President Mr. Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, Vice President Mark Addo, and other council members such as Dr. Randy Abbey, Nana Sarfo Oduro, Dr. Gifty Oware-Mensah, Samuel Aboabire, Kingsley Osei Bonsu, James Kwasi Appiah, Alhaji Abu Hassan, Gideon Fosu, and Eugene Nobel.
With the Africa Cup of Nations just a few days away, President Akufo-Addo stressed that it is the collective responsibility of both the government and the people of Ghana to provide the necessary support to the technical team and players to ensure their success in the tournament.
“As an avid football fan, I am very much aware of the challenges that confront us, as results have not been good in recent games. But you can count on me for the necessary support. We have some very good talents scattered across the globe, so I don’t see why we can’t perform,” he added.
“Ghanaians are obsessed with football, and you have the mandate of ensuring that our game is on the right path.”
He took the opportunity to wish the Black Stars the very best at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote D’Ivoire.