- Who Picks the Black Stars? Okraku Says Coaches Decide
Ghana Football Association president Kurt Okraku has said the association does not choose players for national team coaches, placing responsibility for squad selection with the technical teams.
His statement, made when a GFA delegation appeared before Parliament’s Select Committee on Youth and Sports, addresses longstanding public questions about whether the association influences the composition of the Black Stars and other national teams.
But the assurance also sharpens a wider issue: how can the public assess selection decisions when the GFA appoints and dismisses coaches, provides scouting structures and remains accountable for the national teams’ administration?
“It is the responsibility of the coaches to make the selection, to choose players,” Okraku told the committee. He said coaches work with scouts and that the association has trained talent spotters across the country who support the identification of players, particularly for youth national teams.
Okraku was emphatic about where he says the boundary lies. “This FA does not select players,” he said, adding that the association had hired and dismissed coaches but did not interfere in their technical decisions.
He argued that if the GFA had been directing selections, a former coach would have publicly disclosed it.
The distinction is central to the debate. A football association can shape the conditions under which decisions are made without choosing the final squad itself. It can appoint the coach, set expectations, provide scouts and technical staff, and determine the resources available to national teams. The coach, in turn, is expected to select players and take responsibility for the team’s tactical and sporting decisions.
Okraku’s comments therefore answer one question directly: the GFA says it does not dictate which players coaches select. They do not, by themselves, resolve broader concerns about how the scouting system operates, what criteria guide selection, or whether coaches can make unpopular choices without pressure.
Those questions matter because squad selection is both a technical decision and a public test of trust. Supporters scrutinise who is called up, who is left out and whether players’ club form is reflected in national team opportunities.
When results disappoint, selection choices can become a focal point for criticism. In that environment, an assurance of non-interference may help, but credibility depends on clear processes and consistent explanations.
The association’s role in appointing and dismissing coaches adds another layer. Coaches may have formal authority over their squads, but their employment depends on the institution they serve.
That does not prove that the GFA interferes in selection. It does, however, make transparency important: the public needs to understand the limits of the coach’s authority and the standards by which the association assesses performance.
A credible system would make those responsibilities visible. The GFA could explain how scouts identify players, how information reaches technical teams and how coaches weigh form, fitness, positional needs and tactical suitability.
It could also set out whether coaches have final authority over call-ups and whether any exceptional circumstances permit administrative input.
Such disclosure would not require the association to publish every internal discussion or reveal sensitive tactical plans. It would give supporters a clearer basis for judging whether selection decisions follow footballing criteria. It would also help protect coaches from recurring accusations that choices are being made elsewhere.
Okraku said there is a scout in each of Ghana’s football regions, working with technical structures to identify talent for youth teams.
That is a potentially important foundation. Scouting networks can widen the pool of players considered and reduce reliance on visibility, personal contacts or performances at a small number of clubs. But the existence of scouts alone does not demonstrate how effectively the system works.
The practical questions are whether scouts use consistent criteria, whether reports are shared with the relevant coaches, and how players outside prominent clubs receive fair attention. Parliament could seek details on the network’s coverage, the training provided to scouts, how recommendations are recorded and whether coaches can independently verify the information they receive.
The committee’s scrutiny also gives the GFA an opportunity to distinguish between allegations, evidence and procedure. Okraku’s challenge to coaches to speak publicly if they have experienced interference is a pointed defence.
But an absence of public accusations is not the same as a documented selection framework. Institutions build confidence through records and safeguards that can be examined, not only through the expectation that individuals will speak out.
That standard should apply across the national teams. The GFA president’s remarks referred to coaches, scouts and youth-team structures as well as the debate around the Black Stars.
A transparent approach to selection could strengthen development pathways by showing young players and clubs that national-team opportunities are based on consistent assessment.
The issue also bears on accountability after a tournament or qualifying campaign. If coaches control selection, they should be answerable for the choices they make.
If the association controls appointments and dismissals, it should explain how it evaluates coaches and what role results, player development and the quality of decision-making play.
Clear lines of responsibility make it harder for either side to shift blame when outcomes fall short.
For now, Okraku’s position is unambiguous: the GFA selects and dismisses coaches, but coaches select players. The next step is to make that division credible through transparent scouting, documented procedures and clear accountability to Parliament and the football public.
Ghana’s national teams will continue to face intense scrutiny, particularly when results are disappointing or high-profile players are omitted. The debate cannot be settled by assertion alone. It will be settled when the public can see how decisions are reached, who is responsible for them and whether the same rules apply to every coach and player.
