{"id":4028,"date":"2022-12-24T20:31:07","date_gmt":"2022-12-24T20:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/how-can-ghanas-black-queens-return-to-african-womens-elite\/"},"modified":"2022-12-24T20:31:08","modified_gmt":"2022-12-24T20:31:08","slug":"how-can-ghanas-black-queens-return-to-african-womens-elite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/how-can-ghanas-black-queens-return-to-african-womens-elite\/","title":{"rendered":"How can Ghana’s Black Queens return to African women’s elite?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Ghana are three-time Women’s Africa Cup of Nations runners-up, but missed out on a spot at this year’s finals in Morocco<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ghana were pioneers when it came to women’s football in Africa, with the Black Queens’ early years making it look like the side would always be continental heavyweights.<\/span><\/p>\n

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After playing their first international in 1991, a valiant and skilful squad was graced with players like Alberta Sackey, Genevieve Clottey and Adjoa Bayor and enjoyed success in its first decade.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Runners-up in three of the first five editions of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), the Black Queens also featured at three successive World Cups.<\/span><\/p>\n

“When we started women’s football here in Ghana, many countries hadn’t yet started,” Habiba Atta, who founded the country’s first women’s club and spearheaded the birth of the national side, told BBC Sport Africa.<\/span><\/p>\n

“It was after we began that others caught on.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Although Ghana did not win major silverware, supporters found solace in the team’s style of play.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) failed to capitalise on the momentum or build a strong structure for the team, meaning performances on the continental stage began to dip from 2008 onwards. <\/span><\/p>\n

A <\/span>third-placed finish at Wafcon in 2016<\/span><\/a> was the highlight amidst four group-stage exits out of five – <\/span>one of which came about on home soil in 2018.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

In recent years, the likes of Morocco, current Wafcon holders South Africa and Zambia have all invested hugely in women’s football, so leaving the Queens to hark back to former glories for comfort.<\/span><\/p>\n

After being eliminated by arch-rivals Nigeria in qualifying, Ghana were absent from this year’s Wafcon – which also determines Women’s World Cup qualification – in Morocco and so will miss next year’s finals in Australia and New Zealand.<\/span><\/p>\n

The question is: where did Ghana go wrong in building on the foundations that Atta imposed?<\/span><\/p>\n

Coaching changes and scandals<\/h3>\n
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Ghana suffered a group-stage exit at the Under-20 World Cup in August<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The problem is that the authorities don’t believe in continuity,” Isaac Paha, Black Queens coach from 2004 to 2008, told BBC Sport Africa.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Once you reach a certain level, they bring in another person to take over. As a coach, when you take a team and start preparing younger players to join, you realise you have a better opportunity to take them forward than a new coach.” <\/span><\/p>\n

In the final year of Paha’s stint in charge, the <\/span>GFA appointed Graham Potter<\/span>external-link<\/title><\/svg><\/span><\/a> – who is now manager of Premier League club Chelsea – as technical director of the Black Queens.<\/span><\/p>\n

“He was made to believe he was coming to take over and challenged my style of coaching,” Paha claimed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the addition of Potter, Ghana suffered heavy defeats against Australia, Canada and Norway at the 2007 World Cup, and Paha was dismissed <\/span>six months<\/span><\/a> after the tournament in China.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ghana have not appeared at a World Cup finals since.<\/span><\/p>\n

Friendly rows <\/h3>\n

Paha says the GFA made few provisions for incoming national coaches, failing to provide reports of coaching styles, structures or philosophies of predecessors, but the GFA responded by saying coaches are required to make reports on each tournament they go to before then making recommendations.<\/span><\/p>\n

After two years as assistant coach, during which time Ghana failed to qualify for the 2012 Wafcon, Yusif Basigi became head coach of the Black Queens in 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having led the squad to the All-Africa Games title in 2015 and then third place at the 2016 Wafcon, he was surprisingly dismissed the following March.<\/span><\/p>\n

“At times, we’d be in training camp for long periods, but we were not given the needed platform of international friendlies,” Basigi said.<\/span><\/p>\n

A GFA spokesman pointed out the Black Queens played in the Turkish Women’s Cup in 2020 and the Aisha Buhari Cup in September 2021, prior to facing Morocco ahead of this year’s Wafcon.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We have done our best in the last two years with at least four different high-profile friendly matches,” the spokesman said. “Unfortunately that wasn’t enough to take the team to Wafcon.” <\/span><\/p>\n

Major scandals – namely the bonus row at the men’s World Cup in 2014 and <\/span>Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ Number 12 expose<\/span><\/a> in 2018 – have also upended the Queens’ path.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the first instance, Ghana’s government <\/span>sent over $3m in cash<\/span><\/a> to Brazil to save face after the Black Stars threatened to boycott their last group match, while four years later <\/span>corruption among GFA officials<\/span><\/a> was exposed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The scandals had a domino effect on every aspect of football in the country – grassroots, development and leagues – while pay equality for women’s sides has also been a long-running topic of discussion.<\/span><\/p>\n