Coach Zito defends GFA President, dismisses claims of influence in player selection

The Coach of Ghana’s national Under-19 team, Abdul Karim Zito, has strongly defended the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Simeon-Okraku, against allegations of interference in player selection for national teams.

Speaking in an interview with the Graphic Sports, Coach Zito categorically denied speculation that the GFA boss had been influencing team selection, stating that his personal experience had proven otherwise.

"I can swear to you that sometimes Kurt doesn’t even know the players we pick," Coach Zito emphasised. "When I qualified for the AFCON, he called me to his office and asked how I saw my team. He never told me which players to select but only asked if I wanted to strengthen the squad."

The Dreams FC coach further explained that Okraku merely encouraged him to scout for talent, including foreign-based players, to bolster the team’s performance.

"Due to that encouragement, I considered adding three foreign-based players to the squad. However, one couldn’t play due to COVID. This is why I can confidently vouch that the FA president has no influence on player selection," he stated.

Coach Zito’s comments come amid persistent rumours of external interference in the selection process for Ghana’s national teams. 

His testimony seeks to reaffirm the independence of some of the national team coaches in making decisions based purely on merit.