Charles Kwablan Akonnor has revealed that the leadership of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) many times influenced national team call-ups during his stay as the Black Stars coach.
Akonnor, in January 2020, was named as the new head coach for the side on a two-year deal.
The former Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak boss replaced Kwesi Appiah.
However, strings of undesired results led to his dismissal with Milovan Rajevac coming in as his replacement after 10 games.
Akonnor, speaking in an interview, revealed player influence was a key challenge for him during his time.
“This is public knowledge,” he told Joy Prime.
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“Many people out there just talk but they have no idea what was happening inside. Apart from Covid, it was a challenge controlling player call-ups.”
The 48-year-old went ahead to claim the frustration he had to go through as a result of the influence almost forced him not to call some players again.
“[Having a final say on player selection] was always a challenge,” he added.
“There were times I was so frustrated and I didn’t want to call certain players. It got to a point I wasn’t going to call Emmanuel Lomotey again,” he added.
Akonnor won four games and drew two, losing the other four during his tenure in the Black Stars dugout.