Former Black Stars midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu has expressed concerns about the declining state of Ghanaian football, attributing it to the pursuit of quick fixes and poor player transitions.

Speaking to Joy Sports, the 2009 U-20 World Cup winner highlighted the failure to effectively integrate players from the junior national teams into the senior Black Stars as a major challenge. According to Badu, this issue has persisted for years, with successive administrations unable to implement sustainable strategies.

“If the national teams are not doing well, whatever you do, we’ll talk about it. So, it’s a problem — the transition,” Badu stated. “How we transition players from the junior national teams to the Black Stars, and the quick solutions we want.”

Badu also criticized the growing dependence on dual-nationality players, which he believes undermines the long-term development of homegrown talent. Reflecting on his time with the under-20 squad that won the World Cup in 2009, he recalled how seven players from that team were successfully promoted to the Black Stars, a feat rarely replicated in recent years.

Ghana’s failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations — the first time in 21 years — underscores the depth of the crisis. The Black Stars have also struggled to make it past the group stage in major tournaments since 2019, signaling the urgent need for structural reforms in Ghanaian football.