Erasmus Kwaw.

Africa needs to invest more in football- GFA President Kwesi Nyantakyi

The President of the Ghana Football Association, Kwesi Nyantakyi has emphasised the need for African countries to start investing more in football following the disappointing exits of Senegal and Egypt from the quarter finals of the Olympic football tournament.

Africa has no more representatives in the tournament after Senegal were knocked out by Mexico 4:2 after extra time while Egypt tumbled out after a 3:0 rout by Japan.

Kwesi Nyantakyi, who was a match commissioner at the City of Coventry stadium, says African countries need to increase the level of investments to turn the tide.

“Until such time that we are ready to invest more money, we will remain where we are,” he said. “We will never move a step ahead of where we are. It will be very sad and unfortunate.

The African quartet came into the competition with many hoping they could replicate the success stories of Nigeria and Cameroun who won the competitions in 1996 and 2000 respectively. But Nyantakyi reckons things have changed.

“If you understand the level of investments and preparations that a lot of these Europeans have put into the game, then it will not surprise (you they are succeeding) because, in Africa, we take so many things for granted. We rely on our natural talent and we are not ready to invest to polish it up and improve on what the person already has.”

Nyantakyi, who is also a CAF Executive Committee member, added, “While you are relying on altitude in Kenya or Ethiopia, the Europeans are looking at you, they can create scenarios like that in their country and under those circumstances also raise the level of preparedness of their players. They are even ready to invest more money in preparation.”

Meanwhile, the two teams who represented Africa in the women's tournament, Cameroon and South Africa, did not qualify for the knock-out stages having failed to win a single match. The Nigerian men’s football team last reached the final of the Olympic Games in 2008 but were defeated by Argentina.