Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) vice-president George Afriyie has questioned the quality of the Ghana Premier League, expressing concern over the inability of local players to earn opportunities in the Black Stars.
The experienced administrator pointed to Ghana’s recent squad selection, in which about 24 players were called up for an assignment, with 23 reportedly based abroad. He noted that the withdrawal of nine players exposed a major weakness in the domestic league.
“Isn’t it strange that Ghana will call players about 24 for an assignment, and 23 of them are foreign-based, and about nine are withdrawn? We couldn’t have one single player from the local league to replace them,” Afriyie said.
The former GFA vice-president questioned whether the country’s football structures were producing the desired results, given the limited representation of locally based players in the national team.
“Then we must rightly admit that nothing is working right. If we do a friends-and-cronies league, will we develop?” he asked.
George Afriyie also cited established Ghana Premier League clubs, including Hearts of Oak, Asante Kotoko, Gold Stars and Samartex, as he questioned why a league with 18 clubs could not produce a player capable of replacing those who withdrew from the national team. He believes the situation raises concerns about the foundation of Ghanaian football.
