Former Ghana captain Andre Ayew says his priority is helping to improve football in the country, rather than considering a possible challenge for the Ghana Football Association (GFA) presidency in October 2027.
Reports in the local media have linked the 36-year-old forward with a potential bid to lead the organisation. Ayew, however, says the issue of future leadership should not overshadow the immediate need to address the problems affecting Ghanaian football.
Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup winner confirmed he had received calls from football stakeholders after the speculation emerged.
“Rumours? What I’m saying is that what’s important is what the people want, what the football people want. As you say, rumours. Yes, when the rumours started, I’ve been having phone calls from people or football people, etc,” he said.
The former Olympique Marseille, West Ham United and Swansea City player called on the current GFA administration to act now to develop the game, rather than allow discussion about its eventual successor to dominate attention.
“But that’s not what’s important today for me personally as Andre. You know, what I want is our football to grow. So who’s going to make it grow? It has to grow from those in power now. We have to start it now, not tomorrow,” he added.
Ayew has spent approximately 17 years with Ghana’s national team and said working under different football administrations had reinforced his belief that lasting changes were needed throughout the country’s football system.
He said any decision about who should lead the GFA should be made at the appropriate time, taking into account the views of football stakeholders and the wider Ghanaian public.
“As a footballer, I’ve been in the national team for about 17 or 18 years, something like that. I’ve been under different administrations. Fix it so it changes now,” Ayew said.
“Later is the time for what we call the temperature. You know, temperature, time, people, what the football people want, what the people of the country want. That’s what’s going to happen. But as we speak now, I’m here for Ghana football.”
Ayew also said he wanted to work alongside former players to help advance the sport. He believes many ex-footballers have the experience and willingness to contribute but have not been given enough opportunities to do so.
His own path through Colts football, Division One, the Under-20 national team and the senior Black Stars, he said, had given him an understanding of the challenges at different levels of the game.
Now a club chief executive, Ayew believes that experience places him in a position to assist efforts to strengthen Ghana’s football structures.
“Yes, my personal career, but I’m here for the country. I want to make things happen. A lot of former players want to make things happen. A lot of players want to make things happen, but a lot of them don’t have the chance for different reasons,” he said.
“As a player in Colts football in Ghana, playing in Division One, Under-20s, and Black Stars, I’ve been through it all. And now I’m a CEO of a club.”
