Former Ghana international, Sam Johnson, has encouraged head coach of the Black Stars, Otto Addo, to place reliance on local players for the remaining Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Angola and Niger.
Ghana are currently sitting on a time bomb as their qualification to the 2025 AFCON hangs by a thread after a poor run of results, so far, in their qualifying campaign.
But, Sam Johnson, a former left-back of Fenerbahçe, hushed low-key his advice with mistrust about the quality of players in the domestic top-flight league, cautioning that the calibre of play will not be enough to ensure favourable results.
“I really want the local guys to go and play in these last AFCON matches,” Johnson stated. “We could bring in local players and add a few foreign-based ones to give them exposure. It will help build their confidence and morale," he told Graphic Sports.
“The question is, which of these players would you invite? Based on what I’ve seen, I’m not confident. Our league’s standard is low, and you can’t call up these players if we want to avoid heavy losses,” John remarked.
Johnson went ahead to talk about the decline of the local league, indicating low patronage to the lack of good performances. He pointed out that even Hearts of Oak, with large fan bases, were struggling to convince people to throng to the stadium.
“With the local league, people aren’t motivated to watch. Even Hearts of Oak supporters aren’t attending matches. When was the last time you saw Accra Sports Stadium full, apart from Black Stars games?” Johnson asked.
By: Pascal Amoah
