Effia MP Calls for Sack of Kurt Okraku, Total Overhaul of Ghana Football Structure.

The Member of Parliament for Effia, Isaac Boamah-Nyarko, has called for the removal of Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku and a complete restructuring of the country's football administration, following the Black Stars' shock 4-2 defeat to The Gambia in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Speaking on Channel One TV's Breakfast Daily on Wednesday, September 30, Boamah-Nyarko said the result was further evidence of the sustained decline of Ghana football, and called for the existing administrative structure to be dismantled and rebuilt in order to restore competitiveness and public confidence in the national team.

"He should go. No brainer. He should go," the MP said of Okraku, before extending his criticism well beyond the GFA president himself.

"We Have to Dissolve the GFA" — MP Goes Further Than Okraku's Exit

Boamah-Nyarko did not limit his demands to a change in GFA leadership. He argued that the crisis facing Ghanaian football runs far deeper than one individual, insisting that both the GFA and the Ministry of Youth and Sports need to be dissolved entirely.

"We have to dissolve the GFA. We have to dissolve the Ministry. The Minister of Youth and Sports has to lose his job. In fact, the entire structure of Ghana football has to be broken down and rebuilt, irrespective of whether we would be banned or not," he said.

The MP said Ghana's football development system must be reconstructed from the grassroots up, with renewed attention paid to structures at the district, regional and national levels — the same foundational pipeline he says built the country's footballing success in the past.

"They should allow us to go back and see how we built the GFA, where you had sports at the district level, at the regional level, at the national level, the local league finding its place and all of that," he added.

Criticism of Reliance on Past Glories

Boamah-Nyarko also criticised what he described as an overreliance on Ghana's past footballing achievements to shield the current administration from scrutiny. He argued that continued reference to previous successes should no longer be used to excuse present-day failures or avoid public accountability, insisting that the poor results on the pitch demand a comprehensive review of both the administrative and development structures underpinning the sport in Ghana.

The Defeat That Sparked the Backlash

The MP's comments follow the Black Stars' 4-2 defeat to The Gambia in their 2027 AFCON qualifier at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday, September 29 — a result that has intensified public debate around the state of Ghanaian football.

Ghana appeared to be firmly in control of the match after Ernest Nuamah converted a penalty in the 27th minute, before Felix Afena-Gyan doubled the lead six minutes later with a well-taken free-kick.

However, The Gambia mounted a stunning comeback in the second half of the first period, with Colley converting a penalty to reduce the deficit before the visitors leveled the score just before half-time. The Gambians carried their momentum into the second half, scoring twice more to complete a remarkable 4-2 victory over the hosts.

The result leaves Ghana without a win in their opening two Group C matches of the qualifying campaign, having earlier suffered a 2-0 defeat to Côte d'Ivoire in Bouaké. The Black Stars now sit at the bottom of their qualifying group, intensifying scrutiny on both the technical team and the football administration as a whole.