Deputy Sports Minister Evance Opoku Bobie has acknowledged that the Black Meteors are currently far from being a team capable of winning a trophy.
Accompanying the team in Morocco for the ongoing U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, Bobbie attributed Ghana’s 5-1 loss to the host nation on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, to the significant investment made by North African countries in developing their football.
Bobbie expressed concerns about the decline in Ghanaian football and highlighted the visible flaws in the team.
He also acknowledged the public’s eagerness for Ghana to achieve success and secure a trophy.
“Where our soccer has reached, everyone knows we have a lot of problems. I will admit. We are hungry for the cup but if you don’t have a solid team how do you win the cup?
“So we have had discussions and we will hold a meeting with FA when we get home. We have to have a discussion in Ghana involving all stakeholders and all the players in the sports industry.
“We need to have a sit-down and have a detailed discussion, including the ministry, the FA, the Sports journalist, and everyone in the industry so that we can figure out a way (to solve the issues),” he told Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV on YouTube.
“After visiting Morocco’s national team facilities known as the Kings Sports Complex, he went on to share his experience and raised concerns about the Meteors’ ability to win the trophy without a well-defined project and structure in place.
“I had the privilege to visit the Kings Sports Complex. It is a solid, massive infrastructure.
The young ones that beat us 5-1 were there. They camp the national teams there, U-17 has their hotel, U-20, and so on.
So I realized that the result they got against us is because of what they have done over there…At the moment, the country wants a cup but how do you get the cup without proper preparation and a solid foundation? How?
So what I will tell the people who are hungry for Cup is that the preparation to win the Cup is very weak,” he added.
Ghana’s hopes of progressing to the semi-finals of the 2023 U-23 AFCON hang in the balance as they face the need for a victory in their final group game against Guinea on Friday, June 30, 2023.
Both teams currently have 4 points each, and Guinea will be aiming for a draw to secure advancement based on goal difference.
Ghana’s motivation extends beyond the tournament, as they are determined to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, putting an end to their nearly two-decade-long pursuit of Olympic qualification.