Asante Kotoko’s head coach, Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum, has urged the Black Stars’ technical team to ensure that local players are given a fair opportunity to showcase their abilities when selected for national duty.
Ahead of Ghana’s upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Chad and Madagascar, three home-based players were called up: Hearts of Oak goalkeeper Benjamin Asare, Medeama SC defender Kamaradini Mamudu, and Nations FC defender Razak Simpson. Asare impressed by displacing first-choice goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi, starting in both matches during his maiden call-up. Simpson made a late appearance in Ghana’s 3-0 win over Madagascar.
Dr. Ogum believes that the local league holds untapped potential that deserves more attention. “They need to scout deeper and deeper in the [Ghana] league, and when they are able to do that, I’m sure they will have a backlog of locally good talented players who, when given the opportunity, can play,” Ogum said.
He also emphasized the importance of giving local players more than just a spot on the squad. “To me, they shouldn’t just scout local players and go and put them on the bench. They should scout players who, when given the chance, will be able to compete,” he added.
The Black Stars delivered an impressive 5-0 victory over Chad at the Accra Sports Stadium before going on to defeat Madagascar. Ghana now leads Group I with 15 points and will face Chad and Mali in their next set of qualifiers in September.
