FC AshantiGold Chief Executive Officer, Edward Akuoko, has called on Ghana to build a solid pool of home-based players who can step in for the Black Stars whenever key foreign-based stars are unavailable.

Akuoko believes a deliberate plan to spot and nurture local talent would give the senior national team greater depth, while also raising consistency and sharpening competition for places in the squad.

Speaking on Luv FM, he suggested that Ghana maintain two separate groups, one made up of local players and the other of foreign-based players, which could then be blended according to the national team’s needs.

“We can have a local Black Stars team, and then we can have the foreign base as well, and then we can always blend them so that whenever the foreign ones are not available, the local ones can step in,” he said.

He pointed to history as proof that the approach works, recalling a period when Ghana’s local Black Stars side performed so well that, at times, it outshone the foreign-based contingent.

“I think that history has it that we’ve done this before and it worked for Ghana. A time came when we had a local Black Stars that was playing so well to the point that there were times that even the local Black Stars were even playing much better than even the foreign ones,” he added.

The AshantiGold boss also stressed the value of familiarity and regular training, noting that home-based players can develop understanding by playing together consistently.

“One thing is that when you use the local Black Stars, first of all, you are able to build cohesion because they are always available at your best and core,” Akuoko said.