Aduana FC chief Takyi Arhin calls for more local players in Black Stars after poor start to AFCON qualifiers
Aduana FC General Manager Takyi Arhin has called for greater inclusion of Ghana Premier League players in the Black Stars, arguing that the national team should reduce its reliance on foreign-based players.
His comments come after Ghana suffered defeats by Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia in their opening two matches of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
Speaking on Sporty FM, Arhin questioned whether domestic players are being given enough opportunities to establish themselves in the national team.
He specifically compared former Medeama midfielder Salim Adams with Black Stars midfielder Kwasi Sibo, asking whether the locally based player could offer more to the team.
“The ‘borgas’ in the Black Stars are not prepared to take us to the AFCON, so it’s time to focus on having more local players in the national team,” he said.
Arhin added: “Is Salim Adams not better than Kwasi Sibo? We have to start using the local players and stop relying so much on the ‘borgas’.”
He also questioned why Ghana's foreign-based players have appeared to perform differently in the World Cup qualifiers compared with the ongoing AFCON qualifying campaign.
“Just look at how they [foreign players] play in the World Cup qualifiers compared to the AFCON qualifiers,” he said.
Ghana are bottom of their 2027 AFCON qualifying group after losing their opening two matches and must now recover in a double-header against Somalia in November.
The Ghana Football Association, together with the Sports Ministry, has formed a five-member technical search committee to oversee the appointment of a new Black Stars head coach following Carlos Queiroz's departure.
The committee is expected to submit its report to the Sports Ministry on Friday, 9 October.
Ghana, four-time African champions, are seeking a return to the AFCON after missing the previous tournament in Morocco.