Let’s address the Black Stars challenge

The senior national soccer team, the Black Stars, will arrive in the country today after their unimpressive performance at the just-ended AFCON 2017 in Gabon.

As in similar situations in the past, the team succeeded in breaking the hearts of Ghanaians, leading to many questions being asked about the problem with the team.

For some time now the fortunes of the team, especially in international tournaments, have been anything but the best.

For a country that prides itself as a strong football nation, events from the past few years may suggest that really there is something very wrong with our national team.

The last time the Black Stars won a major tournament was 35 years ago in Libya in 1982. Since then, it has been a topsy-turvy of failed attempts and, sometimes, humiliation at the hands of relatively less experienced teams.

Football has been one great uniting national force that has brought us together, more than anything one can imagine, and, therefore, any loss of confidence in our national team could deal a devastating blow to our national psyche.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the case with the Black Stars now and Ghanaians seem to have had more than enough.

The Daily Graphic believes that it is high time some crucial steps were taken to address effectively the challenges militating against the optimal performance of our once cherished male senior national team.

For a start, the issue of indiscipline and rowdy behaviour ought to be addressed, as one can easily recall the incident involving Sulley Ali Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng, both of who have since been banned from the national team.

While we think that every act of indiscipline has to be punished, we are still careful in saying their case should not have led to their total exit from the team, considering the vital roles they play in the scheme of things.

On the other hand, the goalie for the Stars, Razak Braimah, ­recently made some unsavoury remarks that amounted to a clear insult of the good people of the country, and while we looked forward to a punitive action being taken against him in not fielding him in the next game, that was not done.

Another area of concern is the Ghana Football Association (GFA), and here we would want to posit that the GFA, as it currently stands, seems bereft of any productive ideas that could better the lot of the team.

The best option is for the Nyantakyi-led administration to exit the scene and allow for a new team with fresh ideas to take over affairs.

In the past, issues were raised with regard to the quality of coaching, leading to the bringing on board of foreign coaches, with the current being the Israeli, Avram Grant.

But, clearly, this has not succeeded in turning the worsening plight of the team around.

For the Daily Graphic, football, without doubt, remains a game of passion for the good people of Ghana in that it is one activity that melts away all differences and moulds the country into one united fold anytime the team plays.

The Black Stars, as the case is, are a national asset (and a prized one for that matter) and so it behoves all to ensure that the right steps are taken to turn things around.

That would also mean overhauling the entire team, should the need arise.