Black Stars struggling due to poor development structures – Karim Zito

Dreams FC head coach Karim Zito has attributed the decline of Ghana’s Black Stars to the country’s poor football development structure.

The team has suffered consecutive group-stage eliminations from the Africa Cup of Nations and failed to qualify for the tournament for the first time in 20 years.

In an interview with Graphic Sports, the 64-year-old emphasized the need for a structured development model, similar to those employed by European football powerhouses.

“What’s troubling the Black Stars?” Zito asked. “Why are we constantly searching for new players? It’s because our junior teams aren’t producing top talent consistently, and that’s down to poor development structures.”

Zito criticized the media for focusing on instant results and attacking coaches, rather than supporting long-term growth.

“The media plays a role – they keep attacking coaches instead of supporting long-term growth.”
We focus too much on instant results, but you can’t achieve success without first laying strong foundations,” he stressed.

Zito questioned how many of Ghana’s current senior players actually came through the junior ranks.

“How many of our senior players today actually came through the junior ranks.”

The coach cited the success of Sellas Tetteh’s Black Satellites team, which won the 2009 U-20 FIFA World Cup and formed the backbone of the Black Stars squad that finished runners-up in the 2010 AFCON with the likes of Andre Ayew, Samuel Inkoom and Jonathan Mensah featuring at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

He urged the Ghana Football Association to prioritize a clear succession plan, ensuring a steady pipeline of talent to restore the country’s footballing dominance.

Source: myjoyonline.com