In light of the widespread consensus among Ghanaians regarding the underlying issues plaguing Ghana, leading to the disappointing performance of the Black Stars in major tournaments and the unprecedented demonstration that ensued, former Black Stars player John Paintsil has contradicted the notion that Ghanaian football is in decline.
Furthermore, he has raised doubts about the purpose of the demonstration, which was named #SaveGhanaFootball and took place on February 14, 2024.
During this demonstration, football enthusiasts and journalists expressed their discontent with the Ghana Football Association (GFA), citing various reasons, including the premature elimination of the Black Stars from the 2023 AFCON.
However, while appearing on UTV’s United Showbiz, hosted by MzGee, Paintsil criticized the demonstration, asserting that it lacked a clear objective.
I need to know the point of the demonstration. If it’s Ghana football, then, we are not talking about the national team. The national team comes once every four months. Even when we talk about the Black Stars, they qualified us for the World Cup. We have to see that we are still building. It’s not the responsibility of the FA to look after local-based players. It’s up to the teams to develop well,” Paintsil said.
Despite the concerns raised by protesters regarding the limited opportunities for local players in the national team, Paintsil emphasized that player selection is solely at the discretion of the coach, not the FA.
He said, “Every national team coach has a philosophy and they want to do well to improve their CV. It’s not the FA who determines which local player is called, the so-called interference in hearsay, there is no truth in that.”
Paintsil’s unexpected stance has undoubtedly surprised many football enthusiasts, given his background as a former player with firsthand knowledge of the issues plaguing Ghana football. Consequently, his remarks have ignited a range of opinions, with a majority of Ghanaians criticizing him for his hypocritical position.
