Forty-two years and counting, and our senior national men’s soccer team, the Black Stars,is yet to lay hands on the Golden Fleece, the AFCON cup.
Since 1982 when we won the AFCON cup for the fourth time to lead in Africa, our candle was blown out in the wind. We have slipped from first to third with Egypt leading as seven times winners followed by Cameroon as five times winners.
One thing to notice is that these days, the passion and patriotism for playing for the national team is completely lost. With the likes of Asamoah Gyan, Michael Essien and Stephen Appiah among others, leaving the scene, one can hardly see that hunger for victory in the matches the Black Stars play these days.
The money that is wasted on these men could have any minister of state accused of causing financial loss to the state.
With two brilliant performances in the World Cup, in 2006 and in 2010, when we almost made it to the semi-finals, it has been plain embarrassment in 2014 and 2022, where we got eliminated in the group stages.
Comparing the Black Stars to the other national soccer teams, we can correctly and boldly say, the Black Stars are the worse and non-performers, but yet it is the squad, which most money is recklessly spent on.
CHECK LIST: The U-17 Black Starlets competed in the World Cup nine times, won the Cup, twice, became runners-up, twice and third place, once, between 1991 to date. On the African scene, the Starlets competed seven times, won the cup twice, were runners-up twice and third place, twice.
The U-20 Black Satellites competed in the World Cup seven times since 1993, won the Cup once, was twice runners-up and once third place. On the African scene, the Satellites won the African Cup four times, came runners-up twice and third place twice.
Comparing the three national male soccer teams on World stage basis, the best performers are Black Starlets with 2 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze, followed by Black Satellites with 1 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze. The seniors, the Black Stars, is yet to get a medal at the world stage.
With the women, the National Women U-17Black Maidens,competed in the World Cup six times, won bronze (3rd place) once and was quarter finalists, three times. On the African scene, the ladies won gold (Cup winners) five times, and silver (runners-up) once.
The National Women U-20 Black Princesses, to date, qualified for the World Cup seven times and won the African Cup, seven times.
The National Women Senior Soccer team, the Black Queens, qualified for the World Cup, thrice and for African Cup twelve times where they won three silver and three bronze medals.
When ranking our national soccer teams in comparison to their performances in the World Cup finals, we have, 1. Black Starlets (twice Champions), 2. Black Satellites (once a Champion), 3. Black Maidens (six times qualifiers and once bronze medallist) 4. Black Princesses (seven times qualifiers), 5. Black Stars (four times qualifiers) and Black Queens (three times qualifiers).
Let us look at the minimum amount spent on the Blacks Stars for World Cup 2014 and World Cup 2022 and AFCON 2024.
In 2014, cabinet approved the release of $13,600,000.00 for the Black Stars’ preparation towards the participation in the World Cup and their participation in the group stage. Another $5,400,000.00 was set aside to be spent on the them if they proceed from the group stages. An additional $3 million was airfreighted to them in Brazil. So, in 2014 alone, $16,600,000.00 was spent on the Black Stars.
In 2022, Cabinet budgeted $ 8,166,200.00 for the FIFA World Cup, but $ 5,071,840.36 was spent. $21,671,840.36 spent on the Black Stars in 2014 and 2022.
In AFCON 2024, the government spent $1.5 million on the Black Stars qualifiers to the finals in Cote d’Ivoire. It is alleged by Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa that $8.5 million out of which $2.2 million was spent on items related to the team was budgeted for the Black Stars. Apart from that $30,000.0 was set aside for each player if the team qualified for the Round of Sixteen.
In all this, there is this acceptable fee which is paid to a famous person such as a sports star or movie star for taking part in a public event. This is called appearance fee.
For AFCON 2021 in Cameroon, each player was paid an appearance fee of $21,000.00. It is not yet revealed how much was paid to the players as appearance fee in AFCON 2024. Butif an appearance fee, which is legal, is paid to famous persons in the sport,how many of the Black Stars are famous, to deserve an appearance fee?
Fellow Ghanaians, this is how much the taxpayer pays a non-performing group of sportsmen. Let us see how much the well-performing soccer teams receive.
In the FIFA 2017, U-17 World Cup Finals, the Black Starlets got to the quarterfinals stage where they exited. They received a total of $84,000.00 with each player getting $4,000.00. For winning the AFCON U-20 in 2021, the Ghana Black Satellites players were given $10,000.00 each.
After exiting at the quarter-finals of the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women World Cup, the Black Maidens were given $1,000.00 out of the $2,000.00 owed them. Each player was given between GH¢30.00 and GH¢130.00 for transportation when camp broke.
The Black Princesses won the maiden WAFU Zone B in 2023 and when winning bonuses were not paid them, it took PADO, a non-governmental policy think-tank to prompt government.
One of the women’s squads came home from an African tournament with the trophy. The players were dumped in a hotel and left on their own. How wicked and ungrateful the Ghana FA, can be!
It is very difficult to understand why the focus is always on the Black Stars who have been growing worse by the day. Could it be by way of corruption, to steal from where no one can know and trace what happened? What is the return on investment when it comes to the Black Stars?
The Black Stars exited at the group stages of the FIFA 2022 World Cup and got $9 million for their troubles after spending $5 million. The story is sadder when we look at what was spent and what was earned in the 2014 World Cup. $16.6 million was spent and $8 million was earned. Work out the maths.
THE WAY FORWARD:
The GFA must be made to become an income generating institution which will not depend on government for anything. It must organise a strong league to produce good local players.
Elsewhere, the FAs organise very strong and attractive leagues that are invested into, by corporate bodies and multinational companies. Earnings are so huge that individual clubs are able to pay players tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars/euros/pounds a week.
Unfortunately, in this part of the world, the FA depends on the taxpayer and government to be able to function. This must stop. For one thing FIFA will not accept any interference in the FAs, but yet over here it is government and the taxpayer which maintain FA but barred to intervene in the FA’s business. Unless, our FA becomes independent, we shall forever be spending recklessly on our Black Stars.
Another way forward is to depend solely on local players. After all, the four trophies that the Black Stars won, were all under local coaches and with only local players, expect the fourth where two professionals plying their trade in Gabon were included in the team.
Then the real professionals set in. Even though they have failed to win the AFCON Cup, they took us to four FIFA World Cup Finals. In the first two, they proved to the world that Ghana is indeed a soccer nation. Then in the third and fourth, the bubble burst and theymade Ghana, an also-ran.
With very expensive players in our squad, their resulting efforts are surprisingly, very cheap. For example,in weekly salaries, according to Spotrac and Salary Sport,Thomas Partey, earns £200,000.00 (GH¢3.1 million), Inaki Williams, earns £189,000.00 (GH¢2.9 million) and Jordan Ayew, earns £35,000.00 (GH¢540,000.00). Among these, Ghanaians can compare their performances on the field when in national jersey and when in their individual team jerseys.
The Ghana FA will further burden the taxpayer and employ coaches who earn far less than any of the players on the field. For example, Chris Hughton earns $50,000.00 (£39,800.00 or GH¢622,000.00) a month or £9,950.00 (GH¢156,000.00) a week. Now, we hear there are moves to hire the services of Jose Mourinho who is currently earning £156,000.00 a week. And who will foot this bill if not the taxpayer.
In my opinion, the Ghana FA must go independent and turn the local league into a strong and an attractive venture to be invested in, including international television rights to telecast our league matches.
The FA must concentrate on using only local players in the national teams, who will play with such passion and patriotism, to sell themselves. Without going on the field to protect their legs. Only top players in top professional teams abroad must be invited to play in the national team. And all positions must be hotly contested for, so that only the best is given the national shirt. Names must not be the first priority, performance must.
Our local players won us four AFCON Cups. We must turn to the locals again for salvation.
By Hon. Daniel Dugan
