Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku has insisted that the association does not dictate player selections for the national teams, stressing that the responsibility rests with the technical teams and their coaches.
Okraku made the clarification when a GFA delegation appeared before Parliament’s Select Committee on Youth and Sports, amid longstanding public criticism over alleged interference in Black Stars squad selections.
He said coaches make their selections with support from scouts, while the GFA provides the structures and personnel needed to identify talent across the country.
“It is the responsibility of the coaches to make the selection, to choose players. The coaches who work with our scouts, there is no region in Ghana that does not have an FA scout. In all the 10 football regions we have trained scouts who work with the 10 technical directorate in the selection of players for our youth national teams.”
Okraku was emphatic that the association does not select players on behalf of coaches, adding that it has the authority to appoint and dismiss coaches but does not interfere with their technical decisions.
“This FA does not select players and I put this on record. We have hired and we have fired coaches. If this school was in the business of selecting players for coaches, I am sure at least one of them would come out publicly on video, on audio to say that this is what has been happening,” he added.
He also suggested that the association’s influence over squad selection was limited, using a light-hearted example to dismiss claims that it could dictate the number of players selected from particular clubs.
Okraku’s comments come amid continued debate over the composition and performances of Ghana’s national teams, particularly the Black Stars, with questions frequently raised about the selection process and the role of the football association.
