“Let’s stop using the term ‘local player’ because they are all professional players” – Ex-Ghana striker on Black Stars call-ups

Former Hearts of Oak striker, Charles Taylor has charged the nation and the sports fraternity in Ghana to stop using the term ‘local player’ for those who are playing in the Ghanaian top-flight.

Taylor believes the term has created a big gap between the foreign-based players and the locally-based players.

The local players have had few opportunities to make an impact on the Black Stars team for a long time, displeasing the retired footballer.

Reacting to Daniel Afriyie Barnieh’s performance and his chances to play at the upcoming World Cup, Taylor said, “The term ‘local player’ should be abolished. It has a negative effect on the players. They’re all professional players. In Ghana, people think local rice is inferior to foreign. That’s our mindset. Afriyie Barnie is a professional player, not a local player. In Germany when they call players, do they tag the ones in the Bundesliga as local players? We need to stop that tag”- the retired footballer stated on Angel TV.

Charles Taylor was part of the Ghanaian 2004 Olympic football team that exited in the first round, having finished in third place in group B. He was a silver medalist with Ghana U-20 team at 2001 Africa youth championship in Ethiopia.

He was capped in 41 games for the Black Stars, scoring nineteen goals.

Taylor represented the Black Stars at 2009 African Championship of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire, where they finished second, beaten by the famous Congo.