Some Ghanaian football fans have expressed concerns over comments made by Ghana Football Association (GFA) president, Kurt Okraku regarding dual-nationality players seeking to join the Black Stars for the 2026 World Cup.
Following Ghana’s qualification for the World Cup, reports have emerged of several foreign-born players expressing interest in representing the national team.
However Kurt Okraku has insisted that the Ghana national team is reserved for those who have consistently shown loyalty and passion for the jersey.
Alex Kotey speaks on poor officiating and VAR controversy on Sports Check
“Players who have not shown enough commitment to the Ghanaian flag will not be part of us. There must be a good reason why a player is included in the travelling party. I want players who display high levels of dedication, passion, and respect for Ghana,” he told 3Sports.
His remarks have been criticised by some football supporters who believe the GFA president does not have the absolute authority to decide which players join the national team.
They argued that the Black Stars’ technical team, led by head coach Otto Addo, holds the responsibility for selecting players for tournaments in the best interest of the country.
Some fans pointed out that player selection should be based on current form and performance when the tournament is due, rather than solely on those who participated in the qualifiers.
In contrast to the criticisms, others expressed full support for Kurt Okraku, praising him for taking a bold stance against players who previously declined to join the team but now wish to participate following World Cup qualification.
Watch the videos below:
He is not the coach. Coach selects players. It’s not really his perrogative to decide who plays or not. I agree with him in principle but I think administrators should stop parading themselves as if the decision to call players is theirs.
— Maxwell Afari (@Maxieafari) October 24, 2025
It’s not u to decide it’s the coach
— Redlyfe (@redlyferonnie) October 23, 2025
Is he the one who picks players for the black stars?
— Osaberima Yaw Jr (@oblantajr) October 24, 2025
So this means he is involved in player selection….
— Ebo Enchill (@BigEnchill) October 23, 2025
I support this with 1000 bags of Gyata cement
— BIG PAPS🔥 (@PapsJay3) October 23, 2025
There is a lot of ‘I’ coming from Okraku’s mouth. You can tell that he thinks very highly of himself and that he likes to hear himself talk. You will never get far with a prideful man like this being the head of an organization. And note the: “I don’t care what the coach wants”
— Akwasį (@Ppaaano) October 24, 2025
It means he has been influencing selection since herh @ChristopherNim8 come foryour stone
— Waakye 2 cedis Shito Bebree (@brvhdhesy1) October 24, 2025
Our downfall has started talking again. He’s easily the worst GFA president in history, a total failure in both our league and every tournament Ghana has participated in… This is the time we need all our best for this big tournament
— Achie (@NanaAchieKotoko) October 24, 2025
Am confused here oooo…. Is it the coach that invites players or the GFA prez? Cos he said he doesnt care about the coach’s preference….
— Isaac Newton Kumi, CA, Mtech (@KumiNewton) October 23, 2025
PERFECT 🤩 PERFECT 🤩 PERFECT
GHANA 🇬🇭 IS CAN’T BE A SECOND CHOICE FOR REJECTED ENGLAND AND OTHER COUNTRIES PLAYERS . GHANA SHOULD EQUALLY TREAT THEM SAME . 🔥🔥🔥😎😎😎🇬🇭🇬🇭🇬🇭🇬🇭— MAYOR OF SOUTH LONDON (@Mayor_Of_Surrey) October 23, 2025
Mr fixer… i beg don’t fuck us up oo…the best needs to be called oo,the crop of players we’ve now hmmm
— Raymond duah (@duah_raymond) October 24, 2025
SB/JE
Meanwhile, watch the latest Sports Check interview with Alex Kotey, the GFA Referees Manager below:
