By Ashiadey Dotse
Former Black Stars coach Charles Akonnor has shared the difficulties he faced when defending his player selections.
Akonnor took over as head coach in 2022, following Kwesi Appiah, after the national team was knocked out in the Round of 16 at the AFCON tournament in Egypt.
Speaking in an interview, the former coach of Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak revealed that he often disagreed with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) about some of the players he chose.
He described the process of selecting players for the senior national team as chaotic.
“As a coach, you create a list of players based on your plans. Naturally, members of the FA also share their opinions, but sometimes it makes things uncomfortable. I understand that football decisions involve teamwork, but in my case, there wasn’t real collaboration—it was messy. Defending my choices was always unpleasant,” Akonnor explained.
Player selection for national teams has always been a topic of debate in Ghana, with many questioning whether choices are based purely on merit or influenced by other factors. Akonnor’s comments appear to confirm suspicions that the GFA plays a significant role in these decisions.
In other news, the Black Stars will finish their 2025 AFCON qualifiers with a home match against Niger. However, the team will miss next year’s AFCON tournament in Morocco after failing to qualify.
