A former member of the Black Stars Management Committee, Ernest Thompson, has warned against calls to dissolve the Ghana Football Association (GFA) following the team’s poor start to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Ghana have lost their opening two Group C matches, prompting calls for sweeping changes within the country’s football administration.
Former Sports Minister Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye and Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George are among those who have backed calls for the GFA to be dissolved.
But Thompson believes such a move could create further problems because of FIFA’s rules on government interference in football administration.
“Something has to be done about the GFA,” Thompson told Joy FM.
“Meet them, sit down with them and see how best you can help them solve the problems that they have.”
Thompson said he would not support Ghana entering another period of football normalisation, which could follow any attempt to dissolve the GFA.
Instead, he called on Sports Minister Kofi Adams to bring together the key stakeholders, potentially with the involvement of Parliament’s Committee on Youth and Sports, to find a solution to the crisis.
He pointed to previous meetings in Winneba and other interventions in which people from outside football were brought in to help resolve disputes.
“The GFA must accept that they have problems and be willing to accept help,” he said.
Thompson also raised concerns about the process used to select the Black Stars squad for the opening two AFCON qualifiers.
He claimed the Black Stars Management Committee did not meet to consider the squad before it was announced.
“Some of the committee members told me: ‘We don’t have anything to do with this list. We’ve washed our hands off the list,'” he said.
According to Thompson, the committee had previously reviewed proposed squads, questioned the coach and consulted the medical team before the final list was approved.
He said that process was not followed ahead of the matches against Ivory Coast and The Gambia.
“I found a complete disconnect between members of the Black Stars management team and some members of the GFA,” Thompson said.
He added that he had sent messages on 23 September, a day before Ghana’s opening qualifier against Ivory Coast, warning about problems within the team’s management structure.
Thompson also questioned how several players were able to withdraw from the squad after being called up.
“How can you call players and then they withdraw?” he asked.
“Who issued the list and what medical checks were done before the list was released?”
The Black Stars have yet to earn a point in Group C after losing their opening two matches.
Ghana began their campaign with a 2-0 defeat by Ivory Coast in Bouake before surrendering a two-goal lead in a 4-2 home loss to The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The four-time African champions are bottom of the group and are attempting to return to the tournament after missing the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
The poor start was followed by the departure of head coach Carlos Queiroz, who stepped down after the two defeats.
A five-member committee has since been established to oversee the search for a new head coach, with its report due to be submitted to the Sports Ministry on 9 October.
Ghana will return to AFCON qualifying action in November with back-to-back matches against Somalia.
