Derek Boateng reacted after the Black Starlets of Ghana failed to qualify for the ongoing CAF U-17 African Cup of Nations in Algeria.
Derek Boateng, a former Black Stars midfielder, has urged the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to prioritise youth football in the country.
An ex-Getafe player believes it’s high time the nation’s top football governing body shifted its focus away from the senior national team and toward grassroots football development.
Juvenile football in Ghana has suffered recently as a result of the attention it has received, which has also contributed to the failure of the junior national teams in the nation.
The fact that the Black Starlets failed to earn a spot in the Algerian tournament and were disqualified in 2015 is a clear case study of the country’s youth teams’ poor performance.
A Black Satellites player from Ghana’s under-20 team, which reached the FIFA World Youth Championship final in 2001, stated on Joy Sports Link that the GFA should prioritise taking a closer look at the youth teams.
“For me, it’s about time that the FA focused [on juvenile football] and left the Black Stars alone; let the Black Stars be and focus on grassroots football,” Derek Boateng disclosed.
Derek questioned the attention given to the national under-17 team in recent years and how to nurture football talents at that level of the game.
He explained, “When you go to the U17 and the kid is not doing well, you have a lot to talk to him about. You can advise him and bring him back to the game. You will have words of encouragement for him. Where is the care when it comes to grassroots football?
In his football career, Derek Owusu Boateng, a product of the junior national team, progressed through the ranks before playing for the Black Stars.
