The President of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, has no influence on player selection for the national teams, U19 Head Coach Karim Zito has said.
Zito, who has long-standing working relationship with the outstanding Ghana FA capo, has reiterated his approach to player call-up.
The Dreams FC gaffer has rejected claims of external meddling in player selection, insisting the GFA boss steers clear of such issues.
“I can swear to you that sometimes Kurt doesn’t even know the players we pick. When I qualified for the AFCON, he called me to his office and asked how I saw my team. He never told me which players to select but only asked if I wanted to strengthen the squad.” Zito is quoted by Graphic Sports
He said the GFA boss only encourages coaches to select the best available talent for the various national teams.
“Due to that encouragement, I considered adding three foreign-based players to the squad. However, one couldn’t play due to COVID. This is why I can confidently vouch that the FA president has no influence on player selection,” he stated.
Kurt Okraku has reiterated that his role as GFA President is to provide leadership and support to the national teams and technical staff, but not to interfere in technical decisions such as player selection.
This approach is aimed at maintaining transparency, trust, and professionalism within the management of Ghanaian football.