Former Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has voiced concerns over the difficulties foreign-born players encounter when integrating into the national team, emphasizing that cultural and language barriers hinder their understanding of what it means to don the Ghana jersey.
During his testimony to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports, which is investigating the petition from the Save Ghana Football Demonstrators, Appiah explained that many foreign players are not familiar with Ghanaian traditions, making their transition into the team challenging.
He noted that while players like Inaki Williams excel at their clubs, they often find it hard to match that performance for Ghana due to the cultural disconnect. "We, who are coming from here, know what it means to wear that shirt. Some of these foreign-born players can't even speak our local language," Appiah stated.
Appiah contrasted his experiences with the current team dynamics, reminiscing about the camaraderie shared among players during his playing days. "In our time, after lunch or dinner, we would sit and try to interact, work with each other, do our prayers, and all that. Today, when you go to the camp, they find it difficult to adapt because they don't know the culture," he explained.
He clarified that the challenges faced by foreign-born players are not a matter of disrespect towards coaches but rather a difficulty in acclimatizing to the local culture. "It's not that they disrespect the coaches; I haven’t seen that," he concluded.
