Former Black Stars captain, Stephen Appiah has shed light on why players born outside Ghana often struggle to perform well with the national team.
He attributed this challenge to a lack of understanding of the local language and culture, which hinders their ability to fully adapt to the team’s system and playing style.
Appiah recalled that during his era, players had ample opportunities to bond and get to know each other, which helped foreign-born players integrate more easily into the team.
Addressing the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports on September 25, 2024, Appiah clarified that the difficulty these players face is not due to disrespect for coaches, but rather the absence of sufficient social interaction needed for better team cohesion.
“These foreign-based players, some of them, don’t speak our local language. When we go to camp, it’s not like in our time when, after lunch or dinner, we would sit, interact, mock each other, and pray together.
“But today, they go to camp and struggle to adapt because they don’t know the culture. It’s not about respect or disrespecting the coaches. I haven’t seen such a thing,” he said.