This month, an inspection team from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is inspected in the country to assess Ghana’s preparations to host the 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations tournament. It will be the beginning of a number of regular visits to meet with the Ghanaian authorities to ensure that preparations are on track per CAF’s standards.
The presence in Ghana of CAF inspection teams ahead of tournaments is not a new thing: they have been with us on many occasions, the most recent one being when Ghana was preparing to host the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
It is more than eight months since CAF’s Executive Committee, on September 28, 2016, ratified Ghana’s bid to host the competition, but not much has been heard from the Ministry of Youth in respect of the first major international women’s football tournament to be hosted by Ghana.
There is no doubt that the women’s tournament does not match the men’s competition in prestige, but next year’s competition remains significant, as it will give women’s football a lot of attention and serve as a possible springboard to breathe new life into the women’s game in Ghana.
In spite of the many benefits the country stands to gain from hosting the 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, there does not seem to be any urgency on the part of the authorities to get the necessary teams in place to hit the ground running ahead of the first CAF inspection.
Despite Ghana’s rich experience in hosting international football competitions, the Graphic Sports is uncomfortable with the lackadaisical approach to the competition, particularly without a Local Organising Committee (LOC) in place to handle the nitty-gritty of the tournament.
It is gratifying that the Minister of Youth and Sports, in the presence of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, reiterated at last Saturday’s MTN SWAG Awards event that renovation works would begin at the Accra Sports Stadium and other national stadia across the country in readiness for the continental competition this month.
That pledge is backed by budgetary provision by the government, which gives a lot of hope that we will see contractors moving to site anytime soon.
However, there is more to hosting a successful tournament than the availability of modern stadia. The complementary human resource to help in planning and execution must be put in place very early.
Next year’s tournament holds a lot of promise for women’s football in Ghana if organised well. With a well-executed plan, Ghana will set new benchmarks for hosting tournaments, just as the 2008 AFCON set standards for subsequent competitions.
Also, it will serve as a big motivation for Ghanaian women footballers who will begin to eye a place in the national team and thereby improve the standard of local competitions.
It is gratifying to note that the National Women’s League is currently underway, alongside the Sandford Women’s FA Cup competition, to keep the footballers in shape when the national team is assembled.
Being a World Cup qualifier too, it is important that Ghana prepares very well on all fronts to ensure that on home soil the Black Queens not only end their bridesmaid role in African football but also qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France after missing the last edition in 2015.
SOURCE: Graphic Sports Editorial