Inquiry: Does Nyantakyi"s Appointment Constitute Change?

Ghana erupted with joy when history was made earlier on Thursday, with the election of president of the Ghana Football Association, Kwesi Nyantakyi, onto Fifa’s Executive Council at the General Assembly of the Confederations of African Football (CAF) in Cairo, Egypt.

Many football enthusiasts have already raised questions as regards the relevance of Nyantakyi’s appointment to the highest decision-making body of world football governing body to Ghana’s football, from grassroots to the professional level.

Even though Nyantakyi’s position at FIFA is temporary, many Ghanaians hope he will turn around the fortunes of Ghana football which has somehow dwindled in recent years.

Nyantakyi has been widely tipped to replace Issah Hayotou as CAF boss, but many of his critics have blamed him for the downward spiral of Ghana football in pursuit of his personal gains which has not fostered the development of the sport locally.

But firstly, let’s do a quick probe how Nyantakyi fared when he was elected to serve on the CAF Executive Committee, back in 2011 and his 11-year reign at the helm of affairs of Ghana FOOTBALL.

Grassroot Football

Described as one of the pillars of Ghana’s football, youth football, which is also known as colts football, has been on a downward surge in recent years.

The GFA has largely been blamed for the collapse of grassroot football by majority of football fanatics, despite significant initiatives by the FA to revive the competition which is considered the foundation of Ghana’s football.

The Ghana FA has made various donations to the lower tier of Ghana football which has kept it alive, just recently, the GFA launched the National U15 Championship as part of its youth development program.

National Teams

Undoubtedly, the most successful aspect of Nyantakyi’s reign as president, has been chalked in the arena of the various national teams, especially, the Black Stars, which is considered the pride of the nation.

Other national teams, which include the respective national male and female teams, have been given adequate attention and have qualified for major events across the continent.

Professional Football

The Ghana Premier League, which is considered a ‘problem child’ for the GFA in recent years, has not been able to reach the standard of play fans witnessed in the late 1990s and the early 2000s.

It’s massive decline in recent years, has been the cause of feuds among members of the football fraternity who simply cannot see the way forward. Women’s football has improved massively under the tenure of president Nyantakyi, especially with the introduction of the National Women’s League.

In conclusion, president Nyantakyi has to make Ghana the biggest beneficiary of his success in continental and global football administration to reinforce his status as the most decorated football administrator Ghana has ever produced.

Inquiry: Does Nyantakyi"s Appointment Constitute Change?