[ 2021-03-17 ]

Don't rush Satellites players, warns GFA coaching boss
The Director of Coaching Education at the Ghana
Football Association (GFA), Prof. Joseph Kwame
Mintah, has called on national team coaches to
maintain the succession plan of players in order
to help deliver laurels for the country.
Prof. Mintah told the Graphic Sports that the
current crop of players of the Black Satellites
who won the just-ended U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
must be graduated to the national Olympic team,
the Black Meteors, to continue their progression
into the senior national team, the Black Stars.



The Satellites won Ghana’s fourth continental
trophy in a 2-0 win over Uganda at the Stade
Olympique de Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Since the team’s triumph on March 6, there have
been calls by the public for some of the team's
outstanding players to be promoted to the Black
Stars, with the GFA vice-president, Mark Addo,
hinting of a possible promotion of some player
into Coach Charles Akonnor's team which is
currently preparing for Ghana's 2022 AFCON double
header qualifiers against South Africa and Sao
Tome later this month.

“I am glad that we stuck to the plan to have a
succession plan in our national teams and it is
working. Some of us have been calling for this
since the Normalisation Committee was in place and
it has proved to be the best decision going
forward,” Prof. Mintah told the Graphic Sports
after leading Premier League coaches to review the
first round of the competition.

“Looking at these current [Satellites] players,
Coach Karim Zito picked them for an under-17
tournament but he was unsuccessful. He graduated
them to the under-20 team and everyone saw what he
has achieved,” he stated.



Players such as Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, who was
named Player of the Tournament; skipper Daniel
Afriyie Barnieh, Samuel Quaye, Percious Boah,
Nathaniel Adjei and Frank Assinki have been tipped
to get a chance in the senior national team
following stellar performances at the tournament.

Prof. Mintah, a former head coach of Ebusua
Dwarfs, said the state could only benefit from
these players if subsequent coaches maintained
them rather than opting for new faces in
subsequent tournaments.

“I want to call on the next coach to take over
these players at either the Black Meteors or the
Black Stars stage to maintain them for the future
and that is what is needed to achieve more for
Ghana,” he advised.

Source - GraphicSports

... go Back