Veronica Commey, a sports journalist and convener of the Save Ghana Football demonstration, has defended the decision to protest against the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
The demonstrators, led by Commey and other sports journalists such as Saddick Adams and Patrick Osei Agyemang (Countryman Songo) marched through the streets of Accra, demanding change following the Black Stars’ recent disappointing performance at the AFCON 2023 tournament.
The Black Stars failed to advance beyond the group stage for the second consecutive time.
Speaking on Warm Up Plus, on Saturday, Commey explained that the group presented a 15-point petition to Parliament, highlighting the need for a comprehensive policy to improve Ghanaian football.
According to Commey, having a clear policy in place would help address many of the issues plaguing the sport in Ghana. She pointed out that in the past, Ghana had a policy under President Nkrumah, which contributed to the country’s success in winning the Nations Cup.
NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES. #SaveGhanaFootball pic.twitter.com/NZrd8ChO5w
— Veronica Commey (@VeronicaCommey) February 15, 2024
“I prefer to see Ghana taking a backstage to make a few changes and when I say I prefer this, my opinion. But for the group we are saying it’s important for us to have a policy. When we used to win the Nations Cup Nkrumah had a policy and it was deliberate. If we have a policy today, it cures a lot of the problems that we see,” Commey said.
“If we have a policy, we do know that it affects all faces of the game to the extent that whether you are a student athlete and you like football and you play football, your career doesn’t end at just the school team level. There is an integration that gets you involved,” she added.
Social Media Influencer @gyaigyimii throws his support behind the #SaveGhanaFootball Demo.#TV3GH pic.twitter.com/EpmUUKfx8A
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) February 14, 2024
Black Stars haven’t clinched the AFCON title since 1982 and have endured three final defeats since then. However, in the last two tournaments, they have failed to progress beyond the group stage due to their inability to secure a victory.
Consequently, Ghana currently sits at 67th in the latest FIFA ranking and holds the 14th position in Africa. This ranking implies that they will not be seeded in the upcoming draw for AFCON 2025 in Morocco.
By Frank-Kamal Acheampong || 3Sports