Ghana Football Association President Kurt Simeone Okraku, has disclosed that the country’s football governing body has opened its doors to all Ghanaians abroad who are ready to naturalise and play for Ghana.
Ghana have not won any major title for almost 38 years despite coming to close to clinching the AFCON title on two occasions, losing the 2010 and 2015 finals to Egypt and Ivory Coast respectively.
In an attempt to end the country’s long trophy drought, the current GFA administration led by Kurt Okraku is tracking Ghanaian talents abroad who are willing to represent the West African powerhouse, earn call-ups by head coach Charles Kwablah Akonnor as he seeks to parade a winsome team for the next African Cup of Nations tournament.
Coach Charles Akonnor recently handed a debut call-up to German-born youngster Jamie Leweling who plays club football at Greuther Fürth for the Black Stars 2021 African Cup of Nations qualifiers doubleheader against Sudan later this month.
Speaking to Hello FM in Kumasi, the FA chief said that the national team is not there for only players who reside in the country alone but for every Ghanaian globally.
‘’The national teams are for Ghanaians. It doesn’t mean only those who reside in Ghana alone but for every Ghanaian across the world for which reason it will be suicidal for us not to search everywhere in the world to find the right talents for Ghana. If we find the talent and the coach is please we need to bring that talent,’’ Mr. Okraku told Hello FM.
‘’We are working closely at every big talent you may have seen on your screens and those you have not. But we must also understand the atmosphere around some of those players. Some are classified.
‘’Someone like Tariq Lamptey we have been speaking to his family to make sure that having identified him as a top talent we will bring him to represent our county. In the same vein, other people are also talking to him and his family to represent another country.
‘’It doesn’t come so quick and easy. We are following every top Ghanaian talent you may have seen on your screens and those you may not have seen.
‘’I have not seen Jamie before but he’s coming for us to take a go at him from close range so we are leaving no stone unturned.
‘’We have immediate battles to win and then of the future and we need to take care of both battles. And the players the coach believes will represent our interest for the immediate battle are the ones he’s inviting.’’ He concluded.
