New Patriotic Party presidential hopeful Kwabena Agyepong has attributed the decline of Ghanaian football's cultural and economic vitality to the proliferation of individually-owned clubs, arguing that this trend has severed the traditional connection between teams and their communities.
Speaking to Luv FM, Agyepong expressed concern that eight of the 18 clubs in the 2025/26 Ghana Premier League season are owned by individuals rather than representing organic community institutions, making many teams "unrecognisable" to potential supporters.
"All football is linked to community. The problem we have in our Premier League is that there are too many individual clubs now that have been the bane," Agyepong stated. "There are certain teams in the premiership in Ghana now that by their name, I can't tell where they play, who their supporters are, so it has lost that organic love that human beings should have for football."
The former football administrator highlighted how this shift has damaged the local football economy, recalling better times: "Gone were the days when Kotoko was playing in Kumasi, even the State Transport Corporation was making money. They were lining up about 30 buses to send people to Kumasi, those who were selling food, the economic activity around the stadium, the hotels and all that has collapsed."
Agyepong specifically questioned why wealthy individuals creating new clubs don't instead invest in traditional community teams like Hearts of Oak, Asante Kotoko, Great Olympics, and Okwawu United, among others.
Calling for strategic intervention, he emphasised: "Sports can generate jobs, it has a big economy... We have to take a very deliberate stance on rebuilding our game. It's the passion of our country. Ghanaians love their football."
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