Truth has spoken, Ghana must respond – writes Nathan Quao

For the first time in 20 years, Ghana will miss the AFCON tournament. This is sad and unfortunate, but not surprising.

Since 2017, the signs have been clear. That year was the last time Ghana reached the semifinals. In 2019, they were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Tunisia.

Instead of rebuilding, we blamed head coach Kwesi Appiah and the players. They shared some responsibility, but little changed after that. We viewed it as a minor setback and aimed for success in Cameroon at the 2021 AFCON.

However, another semifinal exit left us disappointed again. We returned to try again for the next edition.

The situation worsened after a shocking 3-2 loss to Comoros. We only needed a point to advance but played poorly. Ghanaians grew worried about our decisions leading up to the tournament. We brought back Milovan Rajevac despite better judgment and he struggled throughout.

We also took an injured Mubarak Wakaso who couldn't play at all. Fast forward to the 2023 AFCON, and things did not improve. Public outcry forced us to change camping bases from South Africa to Ghana.

The football displayed in Côte d'Ivoire was lackluster and unproductive. Head coach Chris Hughton fell short of expectations, while player performances were disappointing.

Now we won't be at AFCON 2025 because we failed to prepare properly. We wanted success without addressing key issues like coaching and leadership.

Ghana's football association lacks direction, and our sports minister has lost focus too. The result? A failure to qualify for AFCON 2025 with no wins during qualifiers.

Are we unique in this situation? Not really; many countries have faced similar struggles before. England missed Euro 2008, Germany and Spain stumbled at Euro 2004, and Senegal failed to qualify for AFCON 2008.

These countries admitted their problems and worked hard to improve their football systems. As a result, they achieved significant success later on.

Ghana has had many chances to reflect and rebuild but ignored them instead. We continue down a path that leads away from what is necessary for success.

Hard work, accountability, and planning are essential in football development. No successful story exists without these elements.

Meanwhile, others are watching closely as Ghana's football struggles continue. The Ghana FA promotes positive stories about recent matches while ignoring our failures on bigger stages.

Pundits abroad express disbelief at how far we've fallen as a team. What will be our response now?

What do we say about failing to qualify for AFCON 2025? How can we support this talented group of players after such embarrassment?

Will we just win a few matches in 2025 or take real steps toward improvement? Will we invest in facilities, train coaches effectively, or develop players properly?

Having lived in Ghana long enough, I fear nothing will change soon based on current signs. The FA focuses on minor successes while neglecting major failures like missing AFCON qualification.

It may be business as usual with apologies from those responsible but no real accountability taken.

What will we say when confronted with this truth? We've been given another chance by fate to change our ways in football; let’s hope we seize it before it's too late.