06 May 2025
Black Maidens
One would argue 'men like playing football more that women'. Indeed most at times, we see men and young boys playing football. But most women don't show interest in football, and that is just ok. But then, what about those women and young girls out there who show more interest in playing football? These young girls and women have to battle with annoying stereotypes about female footballers. Most women and young girls who are into football are often humiliated with their physical looks, with some of them being blankly told to the face, 'you look like a man'. This is just one of the many reasons why the passion and love some women may have for football are killed.
Due to this poisonous stereotypes about football women, women recieve less attention in the football industry as compared to their male counterparts. The fans and hype women get even for winning a match is very negligible. However, even an equaliser would be celebrated and attract focus in men's footaball.
This lag in women's football could be attributed to the international and local structures of the football management institutions. What we usually see is men dominating these institutions and controlling football resources. How then do you expect women's football to recieve much attention, when men are controlling resources which are allocated to women's football. Even those women who could occupy the positions within these footaball management structures are very passive to do anything meaningful to push women's football forward.
As evident in the history of Ghana Football management, Mr. Ben Koufie headed the management from 2001 to 2003, followed by Dr. N. Nyaho-Tamakloe from 2004 to 2005, followed by Mr. Akwesi Nyantakyi from 2005 to 2018 and currently by Mr. Kurt Okraku. Also, the Federal International Football Association is being led by Gianni Infantino as the President, Salmam Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa as Senior Vice President, and then Mattias Grafström as General Secretary. So far Madam Gifty Oware is the current president of the Black Queen management team.
It is very appalling that since the establishment of Ghana Football Association, no woman has headed the football management. Women supporting each other is very crucial in promoting female football in Ghana and across the world. Women have to learn how to assume leadership roles in especially areas where women are abysmally underrepresented.