Exclusive: Ghana Legend Agyemang-Badu Suggests Blueprint to Revive Black Stars after AFCON Setback

Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu has offered advice on how to strengthen the Ghana national team after their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations setback.

The Black Stars missed out on qualifying for the African football showpiece in Morocco after a 1-1 draw against Angola.

The West Africans needed a win in Luanda to strengthen their qualification chances and took an early lead through Jordan Ayew’s 13th-minute free-kick. However, the hosts equalized through substitute Zine.

The result means Ghana will miss the tournament for the first time in 20 years, rendering their final fixture against Niger Republic meaningless. This setback is undoubtedly a major blow for the four-time African champions.

Otto Addo's team, winless in their last five matches across all competitions, sits at the bottom of Group F with just three points from five games and no victories to their name.

FACTORS BEHIND BLACK STARS DECLINE

Describing the failure to qualify as a major setback for the country's football, the retired midfielder, who earned 78 caps during his nine-year stint with the national team, highlighted where things may have gone wrong.

Ghana FA

"We all know that our biggest strength as Black Stars lies in where we get develop our players. We start our building process from the U17 and the U20 levels, which ensures we that we have a smooth transition to the senior national team," Agyemang-Badu told SportsBoom.com.

"In recent years, the Black Starlets and Black Satellites have not been up to the task as well as the Ghana Premier League. So, that has forced us to go out to Europe to scout for talents.

"Today, 94 percent of Ghana senior national team players are born outside the country especially in Europe.

"They neither played in the U17 and U20 which means they are not familiar with the terrain, culture, socialization, pitches and everything "

Ghana has a proud history in international youth football. In addition to winning the U17 FIFA World Cup twice, they are the only African nation to claim the U20 World Cup title.

This historic achievement came in the 2009 tournament hosted by Egypt, where Agyemang-Badu scored the winning penalty in the final shootout against Brazil.

REVIVING GHANA FOOTBALL: THE NEED FOR A HOLISTIC APPROACH

The former Udinese star not only pointed out the issues but also offered solutions to help Ghana reclaim its position as a football powerhouse.

"For us to get back to where we were, need to focus on youth football development as well as ensure that the Ghana Premier League is competitive," the 33-year-old added.

"With these, we can get a good transition in to the Black Stars and you will see the national team flying again.

"Don’t get me wrong, I am not against going outside to draft in players. During our time, we drafted in Kevin-Prince Boateng and Junior Agogo of blessed memory from England to complement those who understand the African football terrain very well, and you know how strong we were then."

"The Ghana Football Association have been running a "catch-them-young" program for both footballers and referees. At Prampram, where the Ghana Soccer Centre of Excellence is located, they have built astro-turf pitches and renovated the facility.
"All former footballers who have become coaches have been incorporated into the national team.
However, they must continue to work diligently to revive Ghana’s flagship team, the Black Stars."

Ghana will now turn their focus to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, starting with a home match against Chad on March 16, 2025. After four matches, the Black Stars sit second in Group I, trailing leaders Comoros.