President John Dramani Mahama has raised concerns about the state of Ghana’s domestic football, saying poor refereeing and the early departure of promising players are weakening the Ghana Premier League.
Mahama made the comments on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, when representatives of Medeama SC, Nations FC and Ampem Darkoa Ladies paid a courtesy call on him at the Jubilee House after their qualification for CAF inter-club competitions.
The President singled out officiating as one of the issues affecting confidence in the local game.
“Unfortunately, refereeing is one of the things destroying our football,” Mahama said.
He argued that concerns about the fairness of some matches have affected the league’s credibility and contributed to declining stadium attendance. He said supporters need to believe that games are being decided by what happens on the pitch.
Mahama therefore called on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the Ghana Referees Association to work together to improve refereeing standards.
His comments do not establish that matches are being fixed. Rather, he was addressing what he described as perceptions among supporters that some results may be predetermined. He said such perceptions can make the league less competitive and discourage fans from attending matches.
The President also turned attention to the movement of young Ghanaian players abroad.
He said clubs are often too quick to sell promising talents once they attract interest from foreign scouts, particularly from Europe.
“We are too quick to sell our players. As soon as a player begins to show promise, scouts take him away, mostly to Europe, and that depletes the quality of our local league,” he said.
Mahama wants stakeholders to find ways to keep talented players in Ghana for longer. His argument is that players could gain more domestic experience, receive opportunities with the national teams and mature before making the move to foreign leagues.
The two concerns are closely linked to the President’s broader call for a stronger domestic competition. A league needs competitive teams, credible officiating and enough quality players to maintain the interest of supporters.
Mahama’s remarks come at a time when Ghanaian clubs continue to face the challenge of building squads capable of competing consistently at both domestic and continental levels.
The immediate issue is how to address concerns about officiating and strengthen public confidence in league matches. For clubs, retaining promising players for longer could help improve squad stability, although the President’s proposal would need practical measures that also take account of the financial realities facing teams.
The meeting with Medeama, Nations FC and Ampem Darkoa therefore went beyond celebrating their continental qualification. It also provided a platform for the President to raise wider concerns about the future of Ghanaian football.
Mahama’s message was clear: improving the quality and credibility of the domestic game will require action on both the pitch and beyond it, including better officiating and stronger efforts to develop and retain local talent.
