Herbert Mensah, former Asante Kotoko board chairman and current Rugby Africa president, has opened up about what he describes as a long-standing decline in Ghanaian football. Speaking to Joy News, Mensah revealed that the current struggles of the Black Stars, including their recent failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the first time in 21 years, are rooted in years of systemic neglect and poor planning.

According to Mensah, the challenges facing Ghana’s national team and football ecosystem predate the current Ghana Football Association (GFA) leadership. He pointed to a recurring pattern in which critical issues are ignored until the nation or its clubs hit rock bottom.

“There is something about us Ghanaians,” he said. “It’s as though you have to reach the point where the club or the nation or the sport is down before you start looking for solutions. I’ve seen this rot in the Black Stars long before, even before the current management of the GFA took over.”

Mensah criticized the fragmented approach to football development, emphasizing the disconnect between grassroots systems, school leagues, and professional football. He argued that neglecting the foundational “pyramid scheme for excellence” in favor of short-term fixes has inevitably led to the current crisis.

“Once you separate the domestic league from your school system and fail to build a proper development pipeline, you lose direction. You can’t just cut and paste solutions; that’s how we’ve ended up here,” he added.

Mensah’s remarks serve as a sobering reminder of the structural changes needed to revive Ghanaian football.