By Abel Manomey, Department of Physical Education and Sports, University of Ghana, Legon
President John Dramani Mahama’s recent remarks about Ghanaian football show issues that go beyond the performance of particular clubs. His concerns about deteriorating grassroots development, the premature departure of talented players, questionable officiating, declining spectator numbers, weak league competitiveness, and insufficient investment point to interconnected structural flaws across the football ecosystem (Ghana Information Services Department [ISD], 2026). Current scholarly research suggests these challenges require coordinated institutional, commercial, and developmental responses rather than standalone solutions. The following five measures provide evidence-based ideas for revitalizing Ghanaian football.
Rebuild and professionalize grassroots football.
The disintegration of the conventional colts system should be addressed with a nationally organized youth-development pathway that connects schools, community groups, academies, and professional clubs. Arguably, Grassroots clubs need qualified coaches, standardized tournaments, medical support, adequate playing facilities, and long-term funding. According to recent scholarly studies on Ghanaian juvenile football, Kusi et al. (2025) opine strongly that young clubs’ viability is hampered by insufficient financial support and poor revenue diversification. The government, the Ghana Football Association, local authorities, and corporate sponsors should therefore establish a National Grassroots Football Development Fund, with transparent criteria for allocating monies.
Introduce a structured talent-retention and development pathway.
President Mahama’s concern over young Ghanaian players leaving the local league too soon necessitates a developmental rather than protective approach. Critically, Ghana should motivate clubs to retain and develop players by providing better salaries, professional training conditions, education, CAF competition exposure, and clearer pathways to national teams. According to recent literature, structured development environments, quality academies, and clear youth-to-senior paths improve player development and market opportunities (Lundqvist et al., 2024). However, retention bonuses and development-compensation structures may incentivise clubs and academies to invest in developing players before making international transfers (Crespo et al., 2023). As a result, such steps would boost domestic football while shifting player development from a short-term transfer activity to a long-term investment.
Strengthen refereeing integrity and accountability.
The credibility of competition is primarily dependent on the confidence of the officials. President Mahama specifically addressed perceptions of planned matches as undermining the league’s credibility. Moriconi & De Cima (2021) argue that governance deficiencies might lead to match manipulation and partial officiating. It is therefore important that the Ghana Football Association should strengthen referee recruitment, continual assessment, remuneration, integrity education, independent disciplinary procedures, and conflict-of-interest policies. Where fiscally possible, VAR or other video-assisted technologies should be gradually implemented, which can considerably minimize certain types of referee bias (Kim et al., 2025).
Rebuild spectator confidence and stadium attendance.
Admittedly, simply asking supporters to return to stadiums will not fix the problem of low attendance. Recent studies involving Ghanaian football supporters have identified officiating, bad leadership, hooliganism, club administration, and insufficient promotion as major reasons to low attendance (Kusi & Santiaguel, 2024). Ideally, teams should implement comprehensive fan-engagement plans that include affordable ticketing, greater stadium safety, family-friendly match-day experiences, digital marketing, supporter membership programs, and increased communication. Kusi et al.’s (2026) argue strongly that club and player market value can influence stadium attendance, implying that developing appealing teams and recognizable individuals is a business strategy in and of itself.
Establish sustainable financing for football infrastructure and development.
Indeed, investment in football infrastructure should extend beyond periodic government interventions. However, a sustainable strategy might include government funding, the Sports Development Fund, private-sector sponsorship, naming rights, diaspora investment, broadcasting revenue, and public-private collaborations. In addition, investment should prioritize training pitches, community facilities, stadium maintenance, medical centers, and contemporary youth academies. Evidence from Ghana’s youth football sector demonstrates that equipment and transportation require considerable amounts of club resources, while insufficient external financial assistance weakens operations (Kusi et al., 2025). As a result, infrastructure policy should prioritize facility maintenance and the creation of accessible football-development environments across the country, rather than only stadium construction.
Conclusion
The issues raised by President Mahama should be viewed as interrelated symptoms of a football system in need of institutional renovation. Ghana requires more than just football competitions; it requires a cohesive football-development ecosystem in which grassroots development produces talent, domestic clubs retain and develop that talent, referees operate with credibility, fans trust the competition, clubs become commercially viable, and infrastructure supports the entire pathway. Short-term measures would not be as effective as a long-term national football plan based on development, integrity, commercial sustainability, and accountability.
References
Crespo, J., García-del-Barrio, P., & Gómez-González, E. (2023). Soccer labour market equilibrium and efficient training of players. European Economic Review, 156, 104461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2023.104461
De Wolf, M., & Dejonghe, T. (2023). Measures for a better youth development environment in European professional football. Journal of Global Sport Management, 9(1), 154–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/24704067.2022.2097115
Ghana Information Services Department. (2026, September 8). President Mahama calls for revival of Colts League to develop young talent. https://www.isd.gov.gh/president-mahama-calls-for-revival-of-colts-league-to-develop-young-talent.com
Kusi, F. A., & Santiaguel, E. (2024). Factors affecting stadium attendance in the Ghana Premier League amid high social media consumption: A study among soccer fans in Ghana. Indonesian Journal of Sport Management, 4(2), 204–219. https://doi.org/10.31949/ijsm.9066
Kusi, F. A., Kaakyire, S. A., Kessewaah, E., & Hiamey, A. Y. (2026). Towards stadium attendance: Evaluating market values of Ghanaian football clubs as a driver for sponsorship. The Bioscan, 21(1), 1902–1918. https://doi.org/10.63001/tbs.2026.v21.i01.pp1902-1918
Kusi, F. A., et al. (2025). Are the revenue generation approaches of juvenile clubs in the Ghanaian football landscape sustainable? Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal, 15(5), 489–512.
Kim, C. H., Lee, K. Y., & Kwon, Y. (2025). Does VAR reduce referee bias? Causal evidence from global professional football leagues. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541251391395
Lundqvist, C., Gregson, W., Bonanno, D., Lolli, L., Di Salvo, V., & others. (2024). A worldwide survey of perspectives on demands, resources, and barriers influencing the youth-to-senior transition in academy football players. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 19(1), 162–170. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541221135626
Moriconi, M., & De Cima, C. (2021). Why some football referees engage in match-fixing? A sociological explanation of the influence of social structures. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 13(4), 545–563. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2021.1928731
