Some three seasons ago, Accra Lions gained entry to Ghana’s topflight league from Division One against all odds in a competition in which a host of the country’s development teams played their hearts and souls out for one of three slots into the Ghana Premier League.
This season, the grit of the league has become unbearable for a team that bossed the league with an array of talent and finished runners-up to eventual winner Samartex FC.
The question begs to be asked: What has gone wrong for a team that enjoyed luxury from their formative years right up until this?
In this article, I look to enumerate some of the factors that have gone against the Accra-based club.
PLAYER EXODUS.
Since player sales are part of the modus operandi of a team. Some teams have executed it to perfection while others have struggled to get it going in the ensuing years. This was the case of a team that boasted of the likes of Rafiu Salifu, Mohammed Shawkan, David Oduro, Dominic Nsobilla, Evans Botchway, Andrews Owusu, Emmanuel Dzigbah, Abass Samari Salifu, Frederick Kesse, who made lots of neutrals for the Accra based club and their exploits in the league. This time, their efforts have seen them recruit tonnes of talented boys from the length and breadth of the country but the instant dividends are yet to pay off which has taken a toll on the performance of the team languishing in the relegation zone with 13 points with a goal minus off four from 15 games.
YOUNG SQUAD
Once a chunk of the players leaves a club, in the most ideal circumstances, the next line of action is to have them replaced with even better reinforcement for the team to carry on with their exploits in the league. This hasn’t happened in the case of Accra Lions, they have let go of a host of their players in recent times and even though the likes of Adomako Boateng Remember, Apiiga Baba Salifu, Mohammed Ali, Dankwah Blessing, have been around the team for a while, they would have to mentor the younglings that have been drafted into the setup. They boast one of the youngest setups in the 2023/2024 season, they finished as runners-up. The squad was just 18.09 years old.
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THE STANDARD OF THE LEAGUE.
The Ghana Premier League has undergone a plethora of changes, teams have risen, and fallen into despair, and others have dissipated into thin air whiles others have come and gone, the two prominent teams, Hearts, and Kotoko have won the league seven (7) apiece, Aduana Stars with two (2), Wa All Stars, defunct AshGold, Medeama SC and Samartex with one piece in the last two decades. This to a large extent has shown the competitiveness of the league and how teams have fared throughout the length.
CHANGES IN HOME VENUE.
Since the team gained promotion to the league, they adopted the Accra Sports Stadium as its home venue but throughout the period they have had to shuffle home venues from the University of Ghana Sports Stadium, Dawu Park, and the WAFA Park in Sogakope for their home venues. This trend of events is rather unsettling to say the least for any team that wants to make a positive mark. This would mean a constant change in the club’s routine plans to suit the league at any given time. The dire nature of this and the regular travels around the country will certainly pose significant risk on these young ones cutting a career for themselves in the football landscape.
If Accra Lions want to continue the path of their rollercoaster season, they need to act fast in the transfer window, they need to reinforce their squad much experienced heads who can aid navigate their trailing times of the league amongst other prevailing factors.
The tides are smacking hard on the door of the Lions tendering to break in at the least opportunity if care is not valued would see its home destroyed and taken over by others in the wildlife. Arise Accra Lions for thou have slept for far too long.
