Nordsjaelland coach Dramani explains Ghana struggles at senior level 

Renowned Ghanaian coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani believes the nation's quest for success at senior level has not been helped by their choice of players at various youth levels.

Despite winning the U17 world title on two occasions and the U20 world championship once, the West Africans continue to struggle for success at senior level.

The Black Stars' last major title came 38 years ago when they won the Africa Cup of Nations tournament at Libya 1982.

“When you look at the way sometimes we pick our U17, do we pick them based on the fact that our projection is that if we pick them when they are 10 years, in 10 years they should have played in our U20 and U23 teams?" Dramani, currently a youth coach with Danish side Nordsjaelland, told YAC Media.

“You should be thinking that in 25 years, they should be able to win something for the country.

“When we are able to think like this, we will be experts in putting people in their right places, because when you think about immediate success, then you are only thinking about today and tomorrow.

“It means you are only thinking about how to win and qualify for the U17 Afcon and when you begin to think about just qualifying for the Afcon, it means you have relegated players who would have been able to fit in for the 2025 period.”

Ghana beat Spain to win the U17 World Cup in Italy in 1991, becoming the first African nation to win the youth championship.

Four years later, the Black Starlets clinched their second title at Ecuador 1995, this time around accounting for Brazil in the final.

In 2009, Ghana became the first African nation to win the U20 World Cup following a penalty shoot-out victory over Brazil.

At U23 level, the Black Meteors won bronze at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.

The senior Ghana team, however, only qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2006 but their best outing came at South Africa four years later when they reached the quarter-final of the championship.

At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Black Stars exited the competition in the first round and failed to qualify for the tournament altogether in 2018.

Their last quest for an Afcon title ended in a Round of 16 elimination at hands of Tunisia in Egypt last year, the team's first time of failing to reach the quarter-finals since 2006.

Dramani won the Ghana Premier League title with Asante Kotoko in 2012 and 2013.