Opoku Nti, a former Ghana international, has expressed skepticism about the possibility of building the Black Stars around homegrown players.
This statement comes after John Dramani Mahama, the former president and flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), announced his intention to collaborate with the Ghana Football Association to develop the national team around local talent.
However, in an interview with Kessben FM monitored by Footballghana.com, Opoku Nti raised concerns about this proposal.
“It is not possible to build the national team around local players. Until the economy changes and companies start sponsoring the Ghana Premier League, it will be very difficult to form the core of the Black Stars from the local scene,” he stated.
“Back in our playing days, Kotoko produced 12 players, with eight of them starting for the national team. It has happened before, but we need to question why players remained in the local scene at that time. It was because the economy was thriving, and supporters had enough funds to even give players gifts,” Nti continued.
“There are multiple factors at play, but we need to establish certain foundations first, and the most important of these is how we can improve the economy,” he emphasized.
