Former Black Stars midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang Badu
Former Black Stars midfielder, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu has asserted that claims of alleged favoritism in squad selection for the national team are not a major hurdle.
He explained that a coach is likely to invite a player who is affiliated with him, his family, or close allies due to existing relationships.
However, favoritism becomes problematic when the player given the chance fails to live up to expectations and performs poorly.
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Speaking in an interview with UTV, Agyemang Badu stressed that players who are favored in national team call-ups and perform badly should be excluded from the squad.
“Football politics is very dangerous, and you need to be very smart about it. With the Black Stars, my talent took me there as I had proven myself to Ghanaians to justify my inclusion. In this world, there is nowhere favoritism does not exist… so you can favor someone, but if the person does not perform, it gives you a problem, that’s when people start to suspect and speculate.”
“If the player plays a couple of games and fails to impress, and you keep calling him, that is where people begin to agitate. Even in government, people lobby for positions, so it’s there,” he told Empress Gifty in Twi.
Agyemang Badu also shared his personal thoughts on how he would handle such a challenge:
“Apart from that, if I am a coach and my sister recommends a player, I will take care of him. But if he plays and I realise he is not performing or does not fit into my system, I will speak to my sister to exclude him and monitor his progress for a future call-up.”
Watch the interview below:
Football is not just a game; it’s political, and that side of it can be dangerous – Agyeman Badu #UCook pic.twitter.com/uMZN9aCun0
— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) January 25, 2026
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Meanwhile, watch as GAF honor outstanding sports personalities
