By Nana Kwame Bediako
Former Black Stars midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu has hit back at Ghanaians who claim there’s nothing wrong with the current state of football in Ghana. The former FIFA U-20 World Cup winner shared his thoughts on the growing issues surrounding football in Ghana.
Agyemang-Badu, in an interview on UTV’s United Showbiz, described the current state of football in Ghana as a tattered one that needs critical attention, and anyone who thinks otherwise is nothing but a liar.
“Our football is in tatters, and anybody who says otherwise is a liar. Our only source of joy now is the Black Queens. All other national teams have nothing to write home about currently.
Have you seen Tamale Park? We need to seek answers to some of these questions. The demonstrators didn’t go there to attack anyone. There are suggestions that are very important for football, and I support them,” said Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu.
Agyemang-Badu added that, looking back to the glorious days where grassroots football was taken seriously, the national youth team performed remarkably well and even lifted the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt, of which he was part, so if people are suggesting we go back to our roots and save Ghana football, he sees nothing wrong with that.
“I was discovered by a teacher through interschools. So what is wrong if someone says to invest in inter-school football? Most of us, including Samuel Inkoom, Abeiku Quansah, Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Asamoah Gyan, and many more, are finished products of grassroots football. So I think it is a great idea to suggest the investment in grassroots football,” Agyemang-Badu mentioned.
