Former member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Council, Wilfred Osei Kweku Palmer, has strongly asserted that the administration of Kwesi Nyantakyi outshines that of Kurt Okraku.
Nyantakyi, who served as GFA president from 2005 to 2018, is remembered for his many accomplishments, particularly for guiding the Black Stars to their first World Cup qualification in 2006 in Germany.
Under his leadership, the Black Stars also participated in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where they made it to the quarterfinals for the first time.
Although the team struggled in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, failing to progress past the group stages, Nyantakyi’s tenure also saw the Black Stars reach the finals of both the 2010 and 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), finishing as runners-up on both occasions.
Additionally, the Black Satellites, under his administration, made history by becoming the first African U-20 team to win the FIFA World Cup in Egypt.
In contrast, Kurt Okraku’s leadership has been less successful. Under his tenure, the Black Stars have been eliminated in the group stages of the last three major tournaments: in Cameroon, Qatar, and Ivory Coast.
The team’s struggles continued as they failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON, finishing last in Group F – marking the first time in over two decades that Ghana failed to qualify for the tournament.
In an interview with Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show, Osei Kweku Palmer criticized the current administration, calling it a failure.
“Kwesi Nyantakyi’s administration performed far better than Kurt Okraku’s. In terms of strategic thinking, the current football administration does not come close to Kwesi Nyantakyi’s administration. They have failed everybody, and it is disappointing,” he added.
Kurt Okraku assumed the presidency in 2019, following the dissolution of Nyantakyi’s leadership after an investigative piece by Anas Aremeyaw Anas exposed allegations of corruption. Despite the setbacks with the Black Stars, Okraku’s administration has achieved notable progress in women’s football, with the Black Queens qualifying for the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (WAFCON) for the first time since 2018.
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