Former Black Starlets head coach, Laryea Kingston, has raised concerns over increasing management interference in player selection across Ghana’s national teams.
Recent discussions have spotlighted claims of influential figures within the Ghana Football Association (GFA) meddling in team selections, a trend Kingston described as “inappropriate.”
Speaking to Joy Sports, Kingston, who resigned after Ghana’s exit from the U-17 WAFU tournament in Accra, condemned the practice and recounted personal experiences of such interference.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for a management member to interfere in a coach’s job. For example, if a coach leaves out a player and a management member calls to ask, ‘Who are you to drop this player?’ that is wrong,” he stated.
He also revealed instances where he was pressured to alter his squad.
“If someone calls me two weeks before a tournament, after I’ve already selected my squad, and asks me to drop two players to include their own choices, I don’t think that’s appropriate.”
Kingston’s comments add to the ongoing debate about external influence in Ghanaian football and the extent to which coaches are allowed to make independent decisions.