Ali Jarrah, Ghana’s celebrated U17 World Cup-winning goalkeeper from 1991, has made a heartfelt appeal to former President John Dramani Mahama, calling him his “last hope” for state intervention. 32 years after a devastating injury ended his promising football career at just 17.
“I know the President of the nation, Your Excellency [John Mahama], is a good listener,” Jarrah said in an interview with Joy Sports. “I’m waiting for that day for me to see Your Excellency. I believe when the time is right, the right authority will wipe a tear from someone’s face.”
Jarrah, now 49, was Ghana’s first-choice goalkeeper when the Black Starlets won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1991 and clinched silver at the U-20 Championships in 1993. But that same year, a spinal injury sustained while representing Hearts of Oak against rivals Asante Kotoko, abruptly ended his rise.
The injury, which left him paralysed, was treated in the UK, but the return home marked the beginning of decades of silence and neglect.
“Since then, I came back to Ghana, and that’s it. No one cares,” he said.
Jarrah, who now runs a goalkeeping academy in Accra and serves as the Technical Director of Ghana’s national amputee football team, questioned why Ghana often waits to celebrate its heroes only after their passing.
“If tomorrow I’m gone, I think the tributes will be full of hopes, glory and honour for what I’ve done for the nation,” he said. “Do Ghanaians want something bad to happen before they act? I’m not afraid of death, but I want to be seen and appreciated while I’m still alive.”
His plea has sparked conversation online, with many calling for national recognition and immediate support for the former football icon, who once carried the hopes of a football-mad nation.
As the nation reflects on its treatment of former sports heroes, Jarrah’s voice stands as a poignant reminder: that behind every trophy and national anthem is a player, a person and sometimes, a forgotten one.
