Ghana's national U19 head coach, Abdul Karim Zito has vigorously defended Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), disputing claims of interfering in player selection process for national teams.
The Dreams FC' coach comment comes amid constant rumours of external meddling in the process of selecting players for Ghana’s national teams.
Speaking to Graphic Sports, he revealed that the GFA boss does not influence or obstruct team selection - going ahead to refute persistent speculations that have been on the lips of football fans.
"I can swear to you that sometimes Kurt doesn’t even know the players we pick," Coach Zito stressed.
"When I qualified for the AFCON, he called me to his office and asked how I saw my team. He never told me which players to select but only asked if I wanted to strengthen the squad."
Coach Zito clarified by adding that Okraku simply encouraged him to scout for talent, including foreign-based players, to strengthen the team’s performance.
"Due to that encouragement, I considered adding three foreign-based players to the squad. However, one couldn’t play due to COVID. This is why I can confidently vouch that the FA president has no influence on player selection," he stated.
By: Pascal Amoah
