Ghana’s football fortunes under Kurt Okraku: A mixed bag of results

Five years ago, Kurt Okraku took the reins as President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), marking a new era for Ghana football. His tenure has been marked by a mixture of achievements and setbacks as Kurt has overseen various national teams enjoy bitter-sweet performances in major international competitions.

As today marks five years since Kurt took charge of the Ghana Football Association, 3sports takes a comprehensive review of Ghana’s football teams’ achievements under his leadership.

 

A decision to take Ghana Football two or five notches higher than where we are — Kurt Okraku after he was elected as GFA boss in 2019.

How is Kurt’s decision looking five years on?#3Sports pic.twitter.com/lQaSoR81c6

— #3Sports (@3SportsGh) October 25, 2024

Men’s Category

Under-17 (Black Starlets)

Ghana’s U-17 team, the Black Starlets, have struggled to make an impact under Kurt at both the continental and global level. They failed to qualify for the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations in 2019 and 2023, and subsequently missed out on the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2019 and 2023.

Under-20 (Black Satellites)

The Black Satellites have shown promise under Kurt, winning the 2021 U-20 AFCON and the 2020 WAFU B Championship. However, they failed to qualify for the 2023 U-20 AFCON despite being defending champions and failed to progress beyond the group stages in the 2019 edition. The Satellites also annexed gold at the 2023 African Games on home soil.

Under-23 (Black Meteors)

The Black Meteors have not fared well under Kurt, failing to qualify for the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.

Black Stars

Ghana’s senior national team, the Black Stars, have been on a downward trajectory since Kurt’s appointment in 2019. The team reached the last 16 in the 2019 AFCON (before his appointment) but were eliminated in the group stages in the subsequent editions in 2021 and 2023, when he assumed office. Despite qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, after missing out on the 2018 edition, Ghana failed to progress beyond the first round. In the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, the Black Stars are in a difficult situation of not qualifying for the tournament for the first time since 2004 after failing to win a match in four outings, leaving them in third place with just two points in Group F.

Women’s Category

Under-17 (Black Maidens)

The Black Maidens failed to qualify for the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and, two years later, they were banned from the 2024 FIFA U-17 World Cup due to overage cheating; a significant setback for Ghana’s women’s football.

Under-20 (Black Princesses)

The Black Princesses have shown resilience and progress under Kurt, reaching the group stages in the 2022 and 2024 U-20 World Cup but failed to go beyond the group stage hurdle in each of the tournaments. However, the Princesses won gold in the 2023 African Games, which took place in Ghana.

Black Queens

Ghana’s senior women’s national team, the Black Queens, have qualified for the 2024 Women’s AFCON after failing to qualify in the 2022 edition. However, they have struggle to qualify for the Women’s World Cup in their last two attempts (2019 and 2023).

Under Kurt Okraku’s leadership, Ghana’s football teams have experienced varying degrees of success. While the Black Satellites and Black Princesses have shown promise, the Black Stars, Starlets, Maidens and Black Meteors have struggled. Addressing the challenges facing Ghana’s football development, particularly at the youth level, will be crucial to future success.

The post Ghana’s football fortunes under Kurt Okraku: A mixed bag of results first appeared on 3News.

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