A former president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has strongly advice the Black Stars Head Coach, Otto Addo, to fo
A former president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has strongly advice the Black Stars Head Coach, Otto Addo, to focus on local players in starting anew national team.
As per Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe, the excessive dependence on overseas players has blocked the creation of a strong, competitive squad. He emphasized on Sudan’s current 2-0 win over Ghana in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers—earned with a team largely made up of domestic talent—as clear indication of the potential of home-grown players.
In an interview following Ghana’s disappointing AFCON qualifying campaign, which has left the Black Stars on the edge of missing out on the continental masterpiece for the first time since 2004, the old-timer administrator stressed that the national team’s technique to teambuilding must change if the country want to restore its competitive boundary.
“You cannot gather different footballers from Europe a week before a match, no matter how talented they are, and expect to win easily,” he remarked.
Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe, who is also a member of the Board of Directors of Hearts of Oak, accused the government’s lack of passion in football for the Black Stars’ deteriorate in recent years, referencing their poor performance in the AFCON qualifiers as the best example. He called on the government to heavily invest in the national team to help restore its former glory.
Reflecting on Ghana’s footballing history, he noted that administrations that actively supported the national team reaped the rewards. “During the era of Kwame Nkrumah, all our victories were achieved with local players,” he recalled, referencing the work of foreign coaches like Sweden’s Andreas Sjöberg and Hungary’s József Ember, as well as Ghanaian legend Chares Kumi Gyamfi, who continued their legacy.
Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe attributed the Black Stars’ two AFCON titles under Ghana’s first President (Dr Nkrumah) to the late leader’s passion for football. However, after Dr Nkrumah’s government was overthrown, the momentum waned, as successive governments, including those of General Joseph Ankrah and Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, failed to prioritize sports.
“When General Kuti Acheampong took charge as Head of State, he personally invested in football, even doubling as Sports Minister, which led to our 1978 AFCON title,” Nyaho-Tamakloe added. He also credited Jerry John Rawlings’ leadership, recalling how, despite economic hardships, Rawlings demonstrated unwavering support for the Black Stars during their 1982 AFCON triumph.
“In 1982, Ghana was so broke that it took Libyan President Muammar Al-Qathafi to send a military aircraft to transport the team to Libya for the tournament,” Nyaho-Tamakloe said. Despite the challenges, the Black Stars went on to defeat Libya in the final, bringing home the country’s last AFCON trophy.
Lamenting the current state of affairs, the former GFA boss criticized the lack of government commitment in recent times, which he said contributed to the national team’s long title drought. “Ghana is a football nation, but we are being pushed out,” Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe warned, urging the government to prioritize the Black Stars to restore their competitiveness. Without proper investment and leadership, he cautioned, the team’s performance was unlikely to improve.