Ghana needs trophies - Mahama tells GFA

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) must urgently build a formidable team capable of winning trophies for the nation, President John Dramani Mahama has urged.

He said the GFA must ensure the qualification of the Blacks Stars to the World Cup, saying it is important “the issue of penalty kicks is taking seriously”.

The president requested the technical handlers of the team to take the playing body to regular penalty kick sessions, as it has often be the team’s nemesis in various competitions.

President Mahama offered the advice when delivering his first State of the Nation address in Parliament on Thursday.

“We have suffered a lot during penalty kicks in tournaments. When President Mills told the Black Stars to improve upon taking penalty kicks we all thought it was a joke but it has proven to be a prophesy,” the president said, amidst cheers and applause from the gathering.

Mr Mahama said plans were afoot to invest heavily in other sporting disciplines to help the youth in particular achieve their potential.

He said in an attempt to unearth talents and propel them for the impending Olympic Games, at least one well-resourced sports center will be established in all the ten regions.

Admissions, the president said, will be reserved in all senior high schools and colleges for talented students, to feed the various national teams.

“We will also work to restructure the Ghana Sports Authority to enhance efficiency and also complete the refurbishment of the Cape Coast stadium,” the president said.

He stressed that the inter-colleges sporting competitions shall be enhanced to develop more talents across the country.