Former Ghana international Nii Odartey Lamptey has urged the interim technical team of the Black Stars to demonstrate courage by handing opportunities to players from the Ghana Premier League ahead of the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Somalia.

Lamptey believes the domestic league has players capable of representing the country and insists the technical team should not hesitate to include locally based footballers in their squad for the qualifiers.

The former Black Stars midfielder acknowledged the experience within the interim technical setup, highlighting the involvement of Godwin Attram and Kim Lars Björkegren, while also stressing that the experience of Ibrahim Tanko should not be underestimated.

“Godwin Attram has been with the team, while Kim Lars Björkegren has also been with the team before. The experience of Ibrahim Tanko cannot be overlooked, and so if they feel they can include local players in the squad for the games, they should be bold and do that,” he said.

Drawing inspiration from his playing days with the national team, Lamptey recalled a period when locally based players formed a significant part of the Black Stars squad, arguing that the team should not depend exclusively on footballers playing abroad.

“During my time with the national team, we had more local players in the squad than players playing in Europe. They should not be scared about that decision; rather, they should be bold and make that decision,” he added.

His comments come as the Black Stars prepare for their November assignment against Somalia, with attention expected to focus on the composition of the squad and the opportunity for Ghana Premier League players to earn national team recognition.