Renowned football administrator, Kofi Manu has held Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kurt Okraku responsible for the struggles of the Black Stars.
Ahead of the doubleheader against Sudan in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, Okraku publicly criticized the players for their lackluster performances against Angola and Niger.
However, his comments sparked backlash, with many questioning his choice of words.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Sports Nite, Kofi Manu criticized Okraku for what he saw as a misstep, saying the GFA President’s approach to addressing the team was inappropriate.
“Kurt Okraku made a mistake of yelling and addressing the players in such a manner in front of the camera. He even went so far telling Mohammed Kudus and Alexander Djiku that Black Stars existed before them and will continue to do so after he retires,” he said.
“Additionally, I would like to know if Kurt Okraku, the president of the GFA, was still alive in 1957 when Black Stars was founded. How can you expect players to fight and sacrifice themselves for their nation if you speak to them in such a manner?
“You don’t speak to players like that 24 hours before a game that crucial. He ought to have apologized to the players for yelling at them in my opinion. However, due to shyness, he was unable to accompany the team to Libya and instead traveled to Germany to watch the Black Satellites’ friendly game versus Germany, which ended in a devastating defeat,” he added.
The Black Stars were held to a goalless draw in the first leg at the Accra Sports Stadium and then suffered a 2-0 loss in the return leg in Libya, putting their chances of qualifying for the 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco next year in jeopardy.
Ghana currently has two points from four games and will conclude their qualifiers with matches against Angola and Niger next month.