Desperation for trophies understandable, but sports development must be prioritized – Deputy Minister
The Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Evans Opoku Bobie, has emphasized the need for Ghana to move beyond relying solely on its reputation as a powerhouse in African football and instead make significant investments in sports development to secure future trophies.
While acknowledging the understandable desire of Ghanaians for sporting success, considering the track record of various national teams, Mr. Bobie pointed out that other countries have caught up and surpassed Ghana due to their substantial investments in sports infrastructure.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, conducted a day before the Black Meteors’ CAF AFCON U-23 group stage loss Guinea, Mr. Bobie highlighted the gap in sports infrastructure and how President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had moved to address it by initiating the construction of 10 National Youth Resource Centers across the country.
“I perfectly understand the disappointment when Ghana fails to win trophies, but football has become a science, and past successes alone cannot guarantee victories in present games,” said Mr. Bobie.
He emphasized that many countries now view football as a serious business venture and allocate significant resources to infrastructure and facilities, enabling them to perform at a high level. He cited Morocco, who defeated the Meteors 5-1 last week, as an example of a country reaping the rewards of investing in sporting infrastructure.
“I agree perfectly with the disappointment when Ghana is not able to win trophies but football has become so scientific and you cannot go into games expecting to win just because you won trophies in the past.
“Many countries are now taking football as a serious business venture and investing heavily in infrastructure and other facilities that help them to perform very well and that is why President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo started the 10 regional youth centres at the regional level in his first term to give young people in the regions the platform to train and improve their talent”.
The Deputy Minister disclosed that he had received assurances from the National Youth Authority that at least six of the 10 National Youth Resource Centers would be completed by the end of 2023. These centres aim to provide young people in different regions with platforms to train and enhance their talents.