The Black Stars’ failure to qualify for AFCON 2025 has sent shockwaves through Ghana, and veteran sports journalist Veronica Commey isn’t holding back. In a scathing critique, she’s demanded the resignation of GFA President Kurt Okraku, arguing that his leadership has overseen the team’s worst performance in five years. The disappointment is palpable, and Commey’s call reflects the widespread frustration felt by Ghanaian football fans.
The disappointment over Ghana’s failure to qualify for AFCON 2025 is palpable, and veteran sports journalist Veronica Commey isn’t pulling any punches. Appearing on Joy News’ PM Express on November 18th, she laid the blame squarely at the feet of GFA President Kurt Okraku. “He needs to take responsibility,” she declared emphatically, highlighting the team’s five-year slump as the worst period in recent memory. This year’s failure marks a devastating blow, the first time Ghana has missed the tournament since 2004, and Commey’s passionate call for accountability reflects the widespread frustration among Ghanaian football fans.
For Ms. Commey, the AFCON failure is just the latest symptom of a deeply troubling trend under Okraku’s leadership—a period she’s described as the darkest in Ghanaian football history
“Back-to-back exits at the Nations Cup in the first round and now failing to qualify. In any serious country, heads must roll,” she argued, stressing the need for accountability at the highest level of Ghana football.
Ms Commey was critical of Okraku’s reluctance to acknowledge his role in the team’s decline.
“People must have the integrity or the standard to say, ‘I had ideas, I wanted to do well, and now that we do not qualify, it is important that I step aside because perhaps my ideas are no longer working,’” she said.
Commey sharply criticized Okraku’s claim that qualifying for the 2022 World Cup was his greatest achievement, suggesting a lack of perspective on the team’s overall performance.
“I disagree with his view that qualifying for Qatar was the height of heights. In 2010, we were almost semi-finalists at the World Cup. So it cannot be the height of heights,” she remarked
“When you qualified the nation for the Nations Cup and the World Cup, you were gloating all over the place and taking the credit. You have failed. You must do the same,” she stated.
Despite her scathing critique, Ms. Commey expressed skepticism that Kurt Okraku would voluntarily resign. She questioned whether he possessed the fortitude and integrity to step down after disappointing the nation.
Commey cut through any attempts to blame the normalization committee era, bluntly declaring: “It’s been five years, and you cannot say that post-normalization is still well underway. It is not.”
Commey’s impassioned plea leaves no doubt: Ghanaian football is in crisis, and urgent reforms are needed. Accountability is paramount, and a change in leadership is essential to restore the Black Stars’ glory. “This is Ghana’s worst era in football,” she declared, “and those in charge must take responsibility and step aside for the sake of the nation.”
