Sports News of Wednesday, 7 June 2023

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

I don't follow Ghana football, everyone knows it's dead - Tony Yeboah

Former Black Stars striker, Tony Yeboah Former Black Stars striker, Tony Yeboah

Former Black Stars striker, Tony Yeboah, has stated that Ghana Football is dead and it is common knowledge.

Yeboah, speaking with Peace FM, said he has no idea about what is happing in the country regarding football because he does not keep up with it.

He said the deterrent state of football in the country is a form of punishment after the leaders failed to heed advice.

"I don't know what is going on because I don't follow. Everyone knows Ghana football is dead because they didn't listen to the advice we gave them from the beginning. So I think they are currently facing the punishment. If you involve bribes and stuff like that in football, you will destroy the game."

The Entraintch Frankfurt legend suggested that the leaders revisit their books and start nurturing talents by revamping colts in order to produce great players as Ghana is best known for.

"The only advice I can give them is that they should go back and train the kids for youth (football) and develop Colts football either than that it will be difficult to get top players like we used to have back in the day. It will be very difficult."

Ghanaian clubs' recent performance on the continental level has been abysmal in recent years. No local club has reached the knockout stage of the CAF interclub competition since 2004.

Berekum Chelsea are the last Ghanaian club to reach the group stage of the CAF Champions League while Asante Kotoko are the last side to feature in the Confederations Cup group stage in 2019.

Whereas the Black Stars have been on a decline in recent tournaments, eliminated in the group stage in two of their last three major competitions.

Ghana's best performance in a major tournament in the last five years was a round-of-16 exit from the African Cup of Nations in 2019.

The Balck Stars suffered a group stage exit at the 2021 AFCON with just a point and the 2022 FIFA World Cup with one win finishing bottom of the group in both tournaments.

The Ghana U-17 men's team's last appearance in the World Cup was in 2017 when they suffered a quarter-final defeat to Mali.

The Ghana men's U-20 team's last appearance at the World Stage was in 2015, they have since missed two editions and are set to miss the 2023's after failing to qualify for the 2023 African Youth Championship.

With regards to Women's football, Black Queens have not been to the Women's World Cup since 2007, Black Princesses suffered yet another group stage exit(they have not progressed from the group in their 6 appearances), whereas the Black Maidens since their third-place finish in 2012 have not gone past the group stage in their last to World Cup appearance.


EE/OGB