Sports Check with Saddick Adams: Declining state of Ghana football and Black Stars captaincy issues

The Black Stars have been on a decline, and the situation has worsened with the team now on the verge of missing out on Africa's biggest football competition, the Africa Cup of Nations, set to take place in 2025 in Morocco.

Ghana have not won a game after four matches in the qualifiers despite facing lower-ranked countries like Niger, Angola, and Sudan. They have lost two and drawn two, and as a result, sit third in their group with just 2 points.

The concerning situation has triggered conversations about the fall of the team and how Ghana, four-time African champions, have declined to the point of not winning any of their last ten AFCON games, exiting the last two editions of the AFCON at the group stage, and now being on the verge of not qualifying for the next edition of the continental showpiece.

On the latest episode of GhanaWeb Sports Check, host Emmanuel Enin engaged award-winning sports journalist Saddick Adams to discuss the deteriorating state of the Black Stars and other issues surrounding the team.

Outlining the causes of the decline of the Black Stars, Saddick Adams mentioned that Ghana lacks a foundation and ultimately has not had a plan since the era of Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari and others.

He refused to blame the situation on hiring world-class coaches, claiming that Ghana has had two top coaches, Avram Grant and Chris Hughton, but they both could not win a trophy.

He also argued that Ghana achieved glories in the past without appointing top-class coaches, citing Milovan Rajevac as an example. Therefore, he asserted that current manager Otto Addo is not the problem, emphasizing that Ghana football does not have a plan.

Regarding the captaincy issue, Saddick Adams revealed that Mohammed Kudus was named as the captain for the games against Sudan because Alexander Djiku, who is deputy to Thomas Partey, was punished for misconduct.

He advocated that the team communicate effectively with the public to avoid narratives that turn out to have an impact on the team.

Saddick Adams further discussed the sorry state of the Ghana Premier League and recounted some of his best and worst memories covering the Black Stars, among other topics.

Watch the latest edition of Sports Check with Saddick Adams below:

EE/EK