Former Vice President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) George Afriyie wants Kurt Okraku’s administration to desist from interfering in player call-ups to the senior national team, Black Stars.
“CK Akunnor must have his peace of mind to work,” Mr Afriyie said in an interview with JoySports.
In the Black Stars’ last 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe, media reports alleged that the GFA leadership imposed players on the technical team headed by Charles Kwabla Akonnor.
President of the Ghana FA, Kurt Okraku denied the allegations, saying, ‘no one imposes players on CK Akonnor,’ when he was questioned on JoySports Link early this month.
However, his denial appears not to have sunk well with the former Black Stars management committee chairman, who has made a clarion call for Akonnor and the team to work independently.
He claims favoritism will not help the team to succeed.
“…We should take away favoritism [in player call-ups]. This one belongs here so we’ll not call him, that one belongs here so don’t call him. This will not help the Black Stars,” he noted.
Allegations of management determining call-ups to national teams, Afriyie claims, is the reason why many prefer expatriates to handle the four-time AFCON champions.
“These are some of the reasons why people will call for a white man to coach the Black Stars, but since we have opted to go for one our own [CK Akunnor] to coach the Black Stars let us leave him to work.
“Let’s give him all the needed support for him to work. That is all I’m calling for,” he appealed.
“If he fails, we will all see that he has failed,” the Okyeman Planners owner continued.
During Kurt Okraku’s interview on JoySports Link, the Dreams FC shareholder emphatically stated ‘gone are the days someone will bring a list and I will give it out to be published.’
This, Afriyie claims is a testimony of how the football governing under Kwesi Nyantakyi never interfered on who should be invited to the national team.
Samuel A. Boakye-Buckman (popularly known as Dada Oliseh) is a self-motivated young journalist with a passion for telling stories better with pictures. He is the founder, owner, editor and bankroller of www.ghanasoccernews.org as well as this website, www.totalsportsgh.com. Dada Oliseh is again the brain behind the Dada Oliseh Photos brand that produces awesome pictures of all sporting activities, nature, and other occasions.
He has a vast experience in the reporting of sports in Ghana especially football-related activities in Ghana and beyond. A former employee of Hearts News (official mouthpiece of Accra Hearts of Oak), 90 minutes sports paper, National Sports Authority, Footballcrusader.com, sportscrusader.com, and ghanafootballnews.com, Samuel is one of the few energetic and self-motivated young journalist in Ghana with a large following on social media, especially Facebook (https://web.facebook.com/boakye.buckman.9). He is well known for his frequent updates from all over the country with pictures to match. He is also a correspondent for a few international websites, including CAF. In recent times, he has introduced, as part of his many talents, the live streaming of matches and football-related activities. He lives in Accra Ghana.