People Do Not Appreciate Intangible Gains in Football- Kurt Shares Key Lessons on His Birthday

Kurt Edwin Simon Okraku, President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and Second Vice-President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has reflected on some of the most important leadership lessons he has learned over the years.

The first GFA president elected after the Anas exposé, on 29 October 2019, celebrated his 55th birthday while at the Black Stars camp in Cardiff, Dragon Park.

He has been celebrated by many football administrators, former players, and former GFA president Mr. Kwesi Nyantakyi, who extended a sincere birthday message to mark the occasion.

Mr. Kwesi Nyantakyi wrote, “Happy birthday to Mr. Kurt E.S. Okraku, the President of the Ghana Football Association and 2nd Vice President of CAF. Best wishes on your special day.”

As the association’s president since 2019, Kurt Okraku responded to a question on what leadership has taught him over the years in an interview with Nana Akua of the GFA Podcast, titled Beyond the Whistle.

He explained, “I think a lot of things, you have to accept that there are other minds, and these other minds would not always be mute, they will speak. And these other minds may either speak well of you or the other way.”

“But in all situations, you have to accept that there is another mind that is likely to speak. I have also learnt, obviously, that as humans as we are, we will make mistakes, but we always have an opportunity to correct ourselves when we do make those mistakes.”

The GFA president emphasised that in Ghana’s football industry, people do not value outcomes that are not tangible.

“I have also learnt that in football, you will not always win; sometimes you will win, and sometimes you will not win. I have also learnt that in football, people do not appreciate the intangible gains; meanwhile, the intangible gains are the most important that we need at this time in our football history, especially when the game has gone through so much trouble.”