Former Vice President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Fred Pappoe, has urged Ghanaians to allow the black stars coaches to do their work when it comes to player selection to the national team and desist from pushing players out of the team because they are not good enough.
His comment comes at the back of recent calls for some senior players of the national team including skipper Andre Dede Ayew, Daniel Amartey and other experienced players in the squad who are not performing for the black stars to quit the team to pave way for the young players to play for the senior national team.
In an exclusive interview with Radio Univers on the Sports Express Show, on Saturday, June 3rd, 2023, the former GFA vice president advised Ghanaians not to coerce national team players to retire but allow the coaches to decide their fate with the team.
“At the end of the day we also have to recognize that there is just one coach thus the head coach and the assistants, they are the ones we have put the fortunes of the team into their hands, so definitely we must learn to respect them and them let them do their work. At the right time if they feel some players are no longer needed and cannot offer what they want them to offer them, they’ll know what to do. lets not push anybody out of the team.
“My point is that people must be consistent and systematic. You just don’t get up and tell people to go because you think they have nothing to offer, maybe in the minds of the coaches they still believe there some things these players have got to offer at the right time. We don’t need to push people out of the team in as much as you also don’t need to push people into the team” he told Univers Sports.
Mr. Fred Pappoe also emphasized that he is impressed with the level of consistency in Chris Hughton’s squad selection since he took over as the head coach of the black stars and believes he will thrive if he continues in the same direction going forward.
“I think is a good squad. What actually strikes very clearly looking at the squad is that you can see clearly the coach is maintaining some consistency which is very good for the team. Clearly you can see about fifteen to eighteen players who are part of the last squad which was called, that is good and a few new ones who have come in. Principally I think the new ones are marginal as compared to the regular ones. I think is a good squad and for me is the consistency that excites me” he said.
He also touched on the non-inclusion of local players in the squad and admonished the indigenous players to continue working hard as their time will come to be called when they meet the expectations of the black stars technical team.
“You must realize what is going on is a process not an event. The next match is not going to be the last match for the black stars, the fact that the coaches are watching them means definitely there are some that they seem to be very promising that is also good. They would have to keep watching them in the course of time. It doesnt really make any difference as when is time for them to be called they are not going to be considered, once they keep watching them there maybe somebody or group of players impressing them consistently over a period of time, then they do their choices, so that at the right time the players will get a call up.
“Not even all the foreign based players who started getting call up long ago, some have been playing at a very tough level, you can mention players like Majeed Ashimeru, Joseph Paintsil, Mohammed Salisu and the rest, it took sometime before they came on board. The fact that the coaches are watching the league doesn’t mean immediately at the next possible call the local players will be part of it I don’t think that is the case” Mr. Fred Pappoe opined
