President of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Okraku says the doors of representing the Black Stars is open to Chelsea youngster, Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The Champions League winner has already been capped three times for England, but FIFA’s new rules allow players who have not played more than three senior matches for their country before they turn 21 to switch nationality.
Speaking in an interview on TV3, the GFA boss said he has held conversations with the winger on the possibility of a nationality switch, among other matters beyond the field play.
“I mean I spoke with Callum before he got to Ghana, and we promised to speak again when we meet in Ghana, we have met, we’ve had discussions that centred beyond playing for Ghana, and he has a crazy ambition of helping kids in Ghana and this is what excites me the most,” Okraku said.
“We are looking forward to working with Odoi and his family and many other players who are interested in representing their country.”
“We have a lot of them like that, we are talking to the technical team and the political authorities in getting them to play for Ghana,” he concluded.
Days after Hudson-Odoi’s arrival in Ghana, the UCL winner addressed the media at the Alisa Hotel where he hinted at a possible switch of nationality, describing Ghana as “home”.
“I think obviously when you’re young, you have the opportunity to play for England throughout all the years, from under 15 to under 16 all the way up. When they obviously gave me the opportunity to come, I was in the country already. It’s something that I already had in my mind, set on already playing for England.”
The Chelsea youngster has played for England’s U16, U17, U18, U19, U21 and senior teams, but he can still represent Ghana as he has not played more than three games for the Three Lions.
“So it was the thing obviously choosing Ghana or England, and at the end of the day, I said I always had the right people around me who always advise me – what’s right, what’s wrong. England came, and I said yeah, let me go and play for my country. But I said Ghana is my home as well, so we’ll see, we’ll see. You’ll never know, so,” he said.
President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo urged the Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif to “explore the possibility” of Hudson Odoi switching nationality and representing Ghana at the international level.
“On Monday, 7th June 2021, Ghanaian-born Chelsea footballer, Callum Hudson-Odoi, paid a courtesy call on me at Jubilee House, the seat of our nation’s presidency. Amongst others, I urged the Minister for Youth and Sports to explore the possibility of having Callum switch nationality, and play for the Black Stars,” the President said.
