The recent poor performance of the Black Stars at AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast has sparked criticism from the Board Chairman of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Seth Panwum.
In an interview with Akoma FM, Panwum expressed concern over the composition of the Black Stars’ management committee, suggesting that it may be influenced by personal interests rather than merit.
Panwum believes that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) should appoint “ordinary people” to the management committee, rather than individuals affiliated with football clubs.
This, he argues, would help ensure impartial decision-making in player selection.
The NSA chairman pointed to the example of Richmond Lamptey, who was not included in the team’s lineup during the final game against Mozambique.
According to Panwum, Lamptey’s exclusion was due to personal interests interfering with the selection process.
“Richmond Lamptey should have substituted Majeed Ashimeru in the Mozambique game,” Panwum said. “However, Richmond was in the stands owing to some personal interest by persons.”
Following the disappointing AFCON campaign, the GFA has taken action by dissolving the technical team led by Chris Hughton.
They have established a five-member committee tasked with finding a suitable replacement and potentially restructuring the team’s management.
Despite these efforts, Panwum remains sceptical about the future of the Black Stars under the current management structure.
Meanwhile, Ghana are set to receive a $700,000 consolation prize for their third-place finish in Group B.
Despite falling short of advancing to the knockout stage, the team will pocket a share of the tournament’s $34.6 million prize money, as revealed in the breakdown provided by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).