Veteran Ghanaian coach Karim Zito has called on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to implement stricter and more structured measures to improve player development in the country.
Ghana, a four-time African champion, has increasingly relied on European-born players to strengthen the Black Stars in recent years.
However, Zito, who currently manages Dreams FC, believes this trend highlights the nation’s failure to establish a sustainable player development system.
Speaking in an interview with Graphic Sports, he warned that Ghana’s struggles on the international stage would continue unless a proper succession plan was put in place. He identified the lack of continuity in player progression as a major weakness holding back the country’s football growth.
“In the past, players progressed naturally through the ranks, but today, we dismantle teams after every competition and start scouting all over again,” Zito lamented.
“That’s our biggest problem—there is no consistency. If a player features for the U-17 team, he should automatically move to the U-19 side. You don’t just discard them and begin afresh,” he added.
The 64-year-old tactician urged Ghana to adopt a structured model similar to top European football nations, where young players follow a clear pathway into the senior team.
“What is troubling the Black Stars? Why are we always searching for new players?” Zito questioned. “It’s because our junior teams are not producing top talent consistently, and that’s down to poor development structures. The media also plays a role—they keep attacking coaches instead of supporting long-term growth. We focus too much on instant results, but you can’t achieve success without first laying strong foundations,” he stressed.
Reflecting on the current Black Stars squad, he posed a crucial question: “How many of our senior players today actually came through the junior ranks?”
