Ghana: President John Dramani Mahama has called on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and club administrators to collaborate urgently to raise the standard of domestic football and revive the defunct Colts League. Speaking during a courtesy call by a joint delegation from Ghana Premier League champions Medeama SC, Nations FC, and Ampem Darkoa Ladies FC, President Mahama expressed deep concern over the declining quality of the local league.
According to African Press Organization, President Mahama emphasized the issue of player retention, noting that the rapid transfer of promising players to European clubs depletes the quality of the local league. "We are too quick to sell our players. As soon as a player shows promise, scouts take him away, mostly to Europe, and that depletes the quality of our local league," the President stated. He advocated for a strategy to retain talented players longer, allowing them to gain international experience and mature before moving abroad.
President Mahama also questioned the neglect of grassroots development, specifically the state of youth football in the country. He asked, "I do not know what happened to it, so I want to ask the Football Association: what has happened to the Colts League?" Furthermore, he highlighted the need for deliberate investment in women's football, noting that female teams have achieved significant success with less financial backing.
"Our women have won more trophies for us than the men, and yet we put all the money into men's football," he noted. He called for affirmative action to support women's football and elevate the women's teams. President Mahama also pledged increased allocations to the Sports Development Fund, aiming for sustained investment across all sporting disciplines nationwide.
To support Ghanaian teams representing the nation in Africa, the president presented a combined financial token of GHS 684,000 to Medeama SC, Nations FC, and Ampem Darkoa Ladies FC. Medeama SC received GHS 342,000 for their CAF Champions League campaign, Nations FC received GHS 228,000 for their CAF Confederation Cup fixture preparations, and Ampem Darkoa Ladies FC received GHS 114,000 for their continental ambitions in women's football.
Senior executives and officials from the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, the Ghana Football Association, and the National Sports Authority attended the meeting.