Former Black Stars captain Stephen Appiah has described Ghana’s ongoing failure to qualify for and compete in major youth tournaments as an embarrassment.
The ex-Juventus midfielder made these remarks on Tuesday when he appeared before Parliament’s Select Committee on Sports to discuss the challenges facing sports development in the country.
Appiah, who was part of the Ghana U-17 team that famously defeated Brazil 3-2 in Ecuador to win the 1995 FIFA U-17 World Cup, expressed his dismay over the country’s current state in youth football.
He pointed to the recent failure of the Black Starlets to qualify for the 2023 U-17 World Cup as a major concern.
“It is really embarrassing that Ghana, with all our football history, cannot qualify for the U-17 World Cup today.
“We have talents everywhere. If you go to places like Kawukudi or even gutter-to-gutter football, you’ll find incredible talents. We need to send people out to discover these players,” Appiah stated.
He also stressed the importance of a wider scouting network that extends beyond Accra, urging sports authorities to invest in identifying young talents across the country.
“We often assume the best players are only from one region, but that’s not the case. When you go to places like Brong Ahafo or the North, that’s where you find raw talent.
“We need to spend more on scouting to uncover players who can represent Ghana at the highest levels in the future,” he added.
The Black Starlets last appeared in the U-17 World Cup in 2017, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Their recent failure to qualify for the African U-17 Championship, finishing fourth in the WAFU Zone B tournament held in Ghana, has only deepened concerns about the future of youth football in the country.
