Ghana football is sinking, but who should fix it, government or GFA?

President John Dramani Mahama’s recent comments on Ghana football have opened a much bigger debate than the individual problems he highlighted.

During his meeting with Medeama, Nations FC and Ampem Darkoa at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, Mahama raised concerns over several areas of the game, including the state of the Colts system, player development and refereeing.

His intervention has reinforced a growing feeling that Ghana football is not where it should be.

But as the concerns pile up, one fundamental question remains: who is actually responsible for fixing the mess: the government or the Ghana Football Association (GFA)?

Those calling for government intervention argue that the problems are now too glaring for the state to sit back and watch.

Ghana’s national teams, from the youth sides to the senior teams, have struggled to make consistent progress. The Ghana Premier League continues to battle poor attendances and sponsorship challenges, while several stadiums are deteriorating and pitches being used for league matches are far from the standard required for professional football.

These are not problems that can simply be dismissed as the GFA’s responsibility.

Government owns or controls much of the country’s sporting infrastructure and has the financial capacity to invest in stadiums, pitches and other facilities needed to create a better environment for football.

But there is a serious problem with expecting government to fix everything.

The GFA is the body responsible for administering and developing football. It controls competitions, refereeing, national team structures and much of the technical direction of the sport.

And this is where the recent Colts League exchange with Mahama becomes significant.

When the President asked what had happened to the Colts League and whether it would be revived, the GFA Vice President Mark Addo responded:

“Your Excellency, the Colts are being played across the country. The naming is called grassroots or youth football.”

The response suggests that, from the GFA’s perspective, the system is functioning under a different structure.

But if the football authorities believe they are moving in the right direction while supporters, clubs and political leaders believe the game is declining, how do you fix a problem that the people responsible for fixing it do not fully acknowledge?

Government does not need the GFA to admit that a stadium is rotten before repairing it. It does not need permission to invest in football infrastructure.

But government also cannot repair refereeing credibility, build a functioning player-development pathway or administer the GPL for the GFA.

The answer, therefore, cannot simply be government or GFA.

Government must take responsibility for the areas within its reach, particularly infrastructure and broader sports investment. The GFA, meanwhile, must take ownership of football administration and be held accountable for its decisions and outcomes.

Most importantly, neither side can hide behind the other.

If Ghana football is genuinely sinking, government cannot pretend it has nothing to do with the solution. But the GFA also cannot expect government funding to become a substitute for accountability.

The bigger question is no longer whether Ghana football needs fixing.

It is whether those responsible are prepared to admit what is broken before attempting to fix it.

FKA/AM