Former Ghana captain Stephen Appiah underscores the glorious transformation local players could have on the Black Stars

Former Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has joined calls for home-based players to be given the chance to play in the Black Stars.He believes these players are capable of competing with foreign-based players when given the necessary confidence to showcase their talent.

His remarks follow the senior national team’s disappointing results in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, where Ghana currently ranks third in Group F, accumulating only two points from two draws and two losses.This poor performance has put their chances of qualifying for the tournament in Morocco next year in jeopardy.

“I think we have to give the local players the chance and the confidence to play for the national team,” Appiah told the Parliamentary Select Committee.“So in our time, maybe there were certain players who looked as if they were key players in the team. We were not key players.

“We had players like William Tiero and others who were pushing us, so we have to make sure that we are not going to allow them to take our positions.

”Ghana will face Angola and Niger in their final Group F matches in November, needing victories in both games while hoping that Sudan stumbles against these same opponents to have any chance of securing a place in next year’s AFCON tournament in Morocco.