The Ghana Football Association President, Kurt Okraku, has made a heartfelt plea to Ghanaian football fans to abstain from abusing players when the team’s performance is below standard.
Mr. Okraku believes that instead of criticizing and insulting the players, fans should rather offer them support and kind words, both in good times and bad.
The GFA jefe’s statement came after the National Team’s poor and abysmal performance at the AFCON 2023, where they finished third in their group with only two points and failed to advance to the knockout stage.
As a result, the team has dropped six places in the global FIFA rankings and is now ranked 14th in Africa, which means they will unlikely be seeded in the upcoming draw for AFCON 2025 qualifiers.
The president emphasized that the players need the support of the fans, especially during difficult moments.
“If we kill our players when things go bad, we are likely not (to succeed),” Okraku said at a recent GFA meet the press event.
“That is why I’ve always said in good times and in bad times, let’s stay with our players.”
Okraku also shows his displeasure of the mistreatment of players by some journalists, who booed and insulted the team after their 2-2 draw against Mozambique in Abidjan.
He stressed that such behaviour is unacceptable and can have negative consequences for the team’s morale and performance.
Mr Okraku also reiterated the importance of allowing the technical team to make crucial decisions regarding the team’s management and player selection.
“Let’s leave those decisive but important decisions to the technical team to handle,” he said.