Give opportunities to homegrown talent, Samartex coach urges national handlers
The head coach of Ghana Premier League outfit, FC Samartex 1996, has urged the management of the Black Stars, Ghana's senior national football team, to reconsider their reliance on overseas talents and to look towards the abundant talent pool within the local league when assembling squads for international tournaments.
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In an exclusive interview with Graphic Sports last Friday, Coach Nurudeen Amadu expressed concern over the frequent oversight of many talented players in the domestic league by national selectors. He emphasized that these local players possess the potential to significantly bolster the national team and thus merit serious consideration.
The coach, whose team currently leads the topflight league, highlighted the reliability and quality of certain local players such as Nations FC centre-back, Razak Simpson, and RTU striker, Alhassan Mankuyeli, as examples of home-based stars who could seamlessly integrate into the Black Stars setup.
While acknowledging the prerogative of the national team management in player selection, Coach Nurudeen voiced disappointment at the limited opportunities afforded to local talents within the Black Stars squad.
He emphasised that merely extending invitations without providing meaningful playing time is disheartening, citing Madagascar as a case in point, where local players have successfully combined with their foreign-based counterparts in the national team setup.
“The national team handlers they know what they are after, and you cannot force them to take a player but what I want to say is that not only our (Samartex) players but they must look at some local players to encourage them because sometimes the foreign ones who come don’t perform well”.
The coach highlighted instances where promising local players, such as Asante Kotoko star Richmond Lamptey, were not allowed to prove themselves on the international stage during competitions like the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
While Lamptey was among a handful of home-based players in Coach Chris Hughton’s team, the midfielder failed to secure a spot in the match-day squads.
He urged the national team’s management and coaching staff not to overlook the potential of local players in favour of foreign-based players, noting that many successful foreign-based players began their careers in the local league before moving abroad.
Coach Nurudeen encouraged Black Stars coaches to take calculated risks by allowing local talents to represent Ghana at the highest level, stressing the importance of nurturing and promoting homegrown talents to the success of the national team in future competitions.