A political commentator and president of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has publicly criticized the Akufo-Addo-led government, accusing it of damaging the economy, destroying the environment, and now robbing Ghanaians of their joy in football.
Cudjoe’s sharp rebuke followed the Black Stars’ disappointing loss to Angola in their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match on Thursday. Ghana lost by a solitary goal, and the poor state of the Baba Yara Stadium pitch has since been blamed as a key factor in the defeat.
In a post on his Facebook wall, Cudjoe expressed deep frustration over the deteriorating state of Ghana’s football infrastructure, lamenting that the country lacks even a single international-standard pitch.
“A foreign coach realized that the goal his team scored was due to an advantage the bad pitch gave his players,” he wrote, comparing Ghana’s situation to that of war-torn Mali, which despite its challenges, boasts five high-quality football pitches that meet international standards.
The political analyst further criticized the government’s decision to invest in artificial astroturfs across various regions of the country. According to him, millions of taxpayer funds were wasted on these projects, which were poorly executed and placed in locations where natural grass pitches would have sufficed.
“And yet the current government has spent millions of innocent taxpayers’ money on useless astro turfs procured opaquely,” Cudjoe lamented, adding that the funds could have been better spent on developing quality, well-maintained natural pitches that would serve the country’s football needs more effectively.
Cudjoe didn’t stop at football, broadening his criticism to include the government’s handling of the economy and the environment. He accused the Akufo-Addo administration of neglecting the fundamental needs of Ghanaians, claiming that the government has “damaged the economy, destroyed the environment, eaten our little food, forgotten our names, and now takes the only joy we seek in football.”
