NSA board chairman Seth Panwum advocates for quota system for local players in Black Stars

Seth Panwum, the Board Chairman of the National Sports Authority, has called for the implementation of a quota system for local players in the Black Stars, emphasizing the need to include home-based talent in Ghana's senior national football team. 

This sentiment has been echoed by former players Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu and Stephen Appiah, who have both advocated for more opportunities for local players to represent the national side.

Panwum argued that it may be more beneficial to field home-based players, even in defeat, rather than rely solely on foreign-based talent without achieving results. During his recent appearance before the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports, he stated, “The best way, if possible, is to always have a quota system where we can say that maybe at all material times, there must be three local-based players in the national team.”

He also noted a historical context, reminding the committee that “if you noticed, all the trophies we have ever won in Africa, we won them with local stars.”

The Black Stars are currently struggling in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, having yet to secure a win. They suffered a 1-0 defeat to Angola in Kumasi and managed only a 1-1 draw against Niger in Morocco.

As it stands, Angola leads Group F with 6 points, followed by Sudan with 3 points, while Ghana and Niger sit at the bottom with just 1 point each.