Former Ghana captain, Stephen Appiah, has voiced his support for the inclusion of home-based players in the Black Stars, emphasizing that these local talents have the potential to compete alongside foreign-based stars. His comments come as part of a growing call to expand the national team’s selection to embrace players from Ghana’s domestic leagues.
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Appiah’s statements follow similar sentiments expressed by ex-international Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, who also advocated for the inclusion of local players in the Black Stars’ squad just two weeks ago.
“I think we have to give the local players the chance and the confidence to play for the national team,” Appiah told the Parliamentary Select Committee during a hearing on the petition submitted by the Save Ghana Football Demonstrators. He reminisced about his own playing days when homegrown talents pushed foreign-based players to be their best. “We had players like William Tiero and others who were pushing us, so we have to make sure that we are not going to allow them to take our positions,” he added, pointing to the importance of healthy competition within the squad.
Despite the pedigree of the Black Stars, the team has struggled in recent times. In their ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, Ghana is winless, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Angola in Kumasi and drawing 1-1 with Niger in Morocco. As it stands, Ghana finds itself at the bottom of Group F with just one point, trailing behind group leaders Angola and second-placed Sudan.
Many believe that bringing in fresh local talent could reinvigorate the team and provide the much-needed spark for success. If local players are given the platform, as Appiah suggests, could it be the key to unlocking the Black Stars’ full potential?
The debate is heating up, but one thing is clear: a growing number of influential voices in Ghanaian football believe it’s time to give local players their moment to shine on the international stage.