Prosper Narteh Ogum, the head coach of Asante Kotoko, has urged the Black Stars’ technical staff to look far and wide for local talents to play for the senior national team.
The only local players chosen for Ghana’s recent 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers were three homegrown players: Nations FC center back Razak Simpson, Medeama SC defender Kamaradini Mamudu, and Hearts of Oak goalkeeper Benjamin Asare.
Asare, the goalkeeper for Hearts, made a compelling argument for the locals by playing both games in his debut call-up and replacing longtime first-choice Lawrence Ati-Zigi.
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The 32-year-old wrapped up two clean sheets when Ghana battered Chad by 5-0 in Accra on March 21 and defeated Madagascar 3-0 in Morocco three days later to top Group I.
Dr. Ogum believes the local league has untapped potential that deserves more attention from Ghana’s technical selectors.
“They [technical team] need to scout deeper and deeper in the [Ghana] league, and when they are able to do that, I’m sure they will have a backlog of locally good talented players who, when given the opportunity, can play,” Ogum said after their FA Cup triumph over True Democracy.
“To me, they shouldn’t just scout local players and go and put them on the bench. They should scout players who, when given the chance, will be able to compete.
“It is a clear indication that there are other players in the local league who, when given the necessary opportunity, the right opportunity, will also be able to showcase their talent. The Ghana Premier League has quality; people think that there is no quality in the Ghana Premier League (but) there is quality,” he said.
The four-time African champions now lead Group I with 15 points. Ghana will face Chad and Mali in their next set of qualifiers in September.
