We Can’t Sit Aloof and Watch Our Players Represent Foreign Countries – Kurt Okraku

The President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, has reversed his position on players with Ghanaian descent.

Kurt Okraku, the second vice president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has previously stated publicly that he will not let disrespectful players near the Black Stars before the World Cup draw in December 2025.

The president in October 2025 declared, “Players who have not shown enough commitment to the Ghanaian flag will not be part of us. There must be a good reason why a player is included in the travelling party. I want players who display high levels of dedication, passion and respect for Ghana.”

The president’s public speech stirred discussion among fervent Black Stars supporters, who have great expectations for the World Cup in June 2026, particularly surrounding Callum Hudson-Odoi and Eddie Nketiah’s selection in the Black Stars squad.

Speaking to Asaase Radio in Accra on Tuesday morning, Kurt Okraku took a different stance from his position last year, attributing the issue to the competitive nature of global football.

Kurt said, “Well, I think that for me there is no discussion; for me, a Ghanaian is a Ghanaian. If a Ghanaian is born in Sisala, he is Ghanaian. If a child is born in Milan to a Ghanaian parent, he is a Ghanaian.”

The president left the decision to the technical team of the Black Stars, stating that the players should be included if the coaches deem it fit and purposeful.

“If …they are good footballers and if …the coaches want them, they will play for Ghana, as simple as that. Unfortunately, I think sometimes we dwell so much on what should be the reality. The reality is that we are in a competitive market; the reality is that every country, whether Germany, Spain or England, is looking for a competitive advantage in football,” he said.

Mr. Okraku pointed to leading European nations that actively recruit players of their descent and stressed the need for Ghana to be equally proactive in attracting players of Ghanaian heritage.

Kurt pointed out, “If Germany can cross over to Turkey to find sons of the land who have the highest quality and can play for them, so be it, why should Ghana sit aloof and watch our kids go and play for other countries? I will not subscribe to that.”