Head coach of Black Meteors Desmond Ofei has responded to criticism about his attendance at Ghana Premier League matches, saying his technical team uses different methods to find the best players for the national U-23 team.
Ofei, who recently took charge of the Black Meteors after leaving his position as an assistant coach of the Black Stars, says attending matches in person is not the only way to assess players.
“Everybody has an opinion in football, and when I attend a match, I don't need to announce myself,” he said after watching Hearts of Oak secure a 1-0 victory over Basake Holy Stars on Friday.
The former Black Stars assistant coach stressed that scouting duties are shared among members of his technical team, while scouts working with the Ghana Football Association also help identify promising players.
“I'm not the only technical team member or the only person in the technical team. Yaw Preko is there, Mallam Nuhu is there. We have scouts already in the FA who scout for us.”
Ofei's comments come after FC Samartex general manager Edmund Ackah questioned whether he was the right person for the Black Meteors job.
Ackah also raised concerns about Ofei’s involvement in the Ghana Premier League, his knowledge of local players and the chances given to players based in Ghana.
However, Ofei has defended his approach, revealing that video scouting is also an important part of the team's preparations.
“We do a lot of video scouting as well. We don't necessarily have to be at the venues to see the players we need to see, but we've done enough homework to pick the best players who can help us,” he added.
The Black Meteors are now preparing for their second-round Olympic Games qualifying tie against Libya as Ghana seek to return to the Olympics for the first time since 2004.
By: Pascal Amoah
