Some members of Parliament have called for a thorough investigation into the current plight of the national men’s football team, the Black Stars.
The team produced the worst performance in the history of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), exiting in the first round of the ongoing 2021 edition in Cameroon.
It was the first time in AFCON history that the Black Stars failed to win a single game. Ghana exited the group stage the last time it did so in 2006.
MPs offered a number of suggestions to get the Black Stars back on track in response to a statement made on the floor of parliament by Ranking Member on the Youth, Sports, and Culture Committee, Kobena Mensah Woyome.
“Even to select and fire, FIFA will come and interfere. Yet, if they are going out, they will ask the government for sponsorship and bonuses. There is also an issue of player discipline. We can’t build a national team where certain players think they are superior and can break camp rules and expect to get results. They won’t get it”, MP for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Boamah said.
Following Black Stars’ abysmal performance, its coach, Milovan Rajevac, has been sacked.
The decision was taken following a meeting between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ghana Football Association
Rajevac, 67, who returned for a second stint with the Black Stars in September 2021, supervised a disappointing AFCON campaign in Cameroon where Ghana picked up just one point from their three group stage games, finishing bottom of Group C.
“The FA has the right to remove that group to account for their stewardship to the people of this country. GHS 25 million was made available in terms of their preparation for both the World Cup and AFCON stage. But we sat down for them to send an ill-prepared team, and they arrived separately and not as a team “, Benson Baba Tongo, the Talensi MP stressed.
