Ghana's former technical director says overlooking local coaches for the Black Stars job is disrespectful and could kill their ambition.
Ghana's long-running debate over homegrown talent versus foreign expertise is back in the spotlight, and former GFA Technical Director Francis Oti Akenteng is not holding back. He insists Ghanaian coaches are fully capable of leading the Black Stars and deserve far more serious consideration for the top job.
His comments come after Swedish coach Kim Lars Björkegren was named to head Ghana's interim technical team while the search for a permanent head coach continues. Björkegren will work with Ibrahim Tanko and Godwin Attram, while former Black Stars goalkeeper Fatawu Dauda joins as goalkeepers' coach for the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Somalia.
The decision by the Ghana Football Association and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation to place a foreign coach at the helm of the interim setup has drawn criticism, with many fans and observers asking why local trainers aren't trusted to lead.
Speaking on Asempa FM, Oti Akenteng argued that repeatedly passing over Ghanaian coaches sends a damaging message. "There are local coaches who are capable of coaching the Black Stars," he said, warning that if they are always overlooked, it is a sign of disrespect, and coaches who feel disrespected will lose interest in the job.
With Ghana still hunting for a substantive coach, the debate is bigger than one appointment. It speaks to how African football values its own tacticians, and whether national teams will back local minds or keep looking abroad for answers.
