Former Ghana International Augustine Arhinful has said that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) must approach Ghanaian players of foreign descent at the early stage of their careers if they are want to convince them to switch nationality and play for the Black Stars.
Arhinful was speaking on the back of Ghana FA president Kurt Okraku comments on the GFA working to convince Ghanaian players of foreign descent to play for the Black Stars.
Speaking in an interview on Happy Sports with Ohene-Bampoe Brenya on Happy 98.9FM said,
“If we want these players, then we have to follow them at their tender age. We cannot wait until they burst onto the scene before we go chasing them. At that time they may have already played for the youth teams of those countries.
“Whether we like or not the world has become a global village and we must accept it that way. The GFA must have the policy to develop our youth”.
He also stated that these players should be scouted first to ascertain whether they can integrate well into the team.
Arhinful added that the notion of juju or black magic hindering these players from the joining the Black Stars cannot be substantiated.
He made this statement in response to GFA Executive Council member George Amoako comment on black magic making it difficult for the FA to convince these players to join the team.
Adam Kwarasey, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, Emmanuel Frimpong and a host of others are some Ghanaian players of foreign descent who have switched nationality to play for the Black Stars in recent times.