Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, has challenged the long-held belief that Ghana remains a football nation, insisting that the country is living on past glories while neglecting the foundations needed for sustained success.

Speaking on the state of Ghanaian football in an interview with UTV, Ampofo Ankrah said it was time for stakeholders to be honest about the country's current standing rather than continue clinging to its rich history.

"Where we are now, we pretend that we are a football nation. I don't know who we are deceiving. Ghana is not a football nation. Ghana was a football nation," he stated.

According to him, Ghana's decline is closely linked to years of poor infrastructure maintenance and the absence of a long-term national sports development policy.

He noted that although President John Dramani Mahama has pledged resources for the construction of additional stadia, existing facilities must also be properly maintained.

"This is not something that happened in the last year or two. Over the years, we've neglected our facilities in terms of maintenance, and we've failed to establish a clear-cut policy that successive governments can follow, regardless of which political party is in power," he said.

Ampofo Ankrah stressed that sports infrastructure projects should be treated like major national development initiatives, with continuity and regular maintenance regardless of changes in government.

He argued that Ghana's status as a football powerhouse effectively ended after winning its fourth Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in 1982, adding that the country's subsequent decline has been fuelled by complacency.

"Once upon a time, after we won the fourth AFCON in 1982, you could say Ghana was a strong football nation. But since then, we've struggled because we've taken things for granted and kept saying we're a football nation," he remarked.

The NSA boss pointed to countries such as Cape Verde as examples of nations that have made significant progress through deliberate planning and investment.

He recalled that Ghana defeated Cape Verde 5-0 before the Black Stars' maiden FIFA World Cup qualification in 2006 but noted that the gap between the two countries has narrowed considerably.

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"Look at Cape Verde today and look at the Black Stars today. No disrespect, but it would be difficult to say there's a huge difference. That's not being unpatriotic; that's simply how they have developed," he said.

Ampofo Ankrah concluded by urging Ghana to stop relying on its football history and instead commit to rebuilding the game through hard work, long-term planning and sustained investment.

"We are still trying to hold on to our past instead of building a new future. We need to work triple, even quadruple, harder if we want to return to where we belong," he added.

Let's not deceive ourselves; Ghana is no longer a football powerhouse - Yaw Ampofo Ankrah (National Sports Authority Boss)#Atuu pic.twitter.com/sPUSS4dbIB

— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) July 11, 2026