Ghana Premier League legend Charles Taylor believes that Kumasi Asante Kotoko are a bigger sporting brand than the Black Stars of Ghana.
In an appearance on Angel TV, Charles Taylor based his argument on the premise that while the Black Stars play matches periodically, Kumasi Asante Kotoko play every week, which makes their players fitter and better than the Black Stars players.
Taylor’s point was to counter the argument that players in the Ghana Premier League are unfit to play ahead of those who ply their trade abroad in the Black Stars.
While conceding that Ghana has not performed creditably in editions of the CHAN tournament which is reserved for locally-based players, Charles Taylor holds that some players in the Ghana Premier League are skilled enough to play for the Black Stars.
He noted that the alienation of locally-based players from the national team is a major reason for the team’s poor performance.
In his estimation, the presence of the local players would have enhanced competition in the team and given the foreign-based players a reason to improve their performance.
“I know that if we give the local players the chance, they will deliver for the country. A player like Justice Blay, if he cannot play for the Black Stars, then he is not fit to be an Asante Kotoko player. This is because Kotoko is bigger than Black Stars.
“Black Stars play matches periodically, but Kotoko play almost every weekend, so their players are fitter and better than the Black Stars players. How many of our Black Stars players start regularly at their clubs?
“People always bring up their inability to qualify for the CHAN, but there are some players in the CHAN team who can excel for the Black Stars. There should be competition in the team,” he said.
Charles Taylor also commended the Ghanaian players who bounced back from poor performances in the international break to excel for their clubs.
After drawing blanks in Ghana’s games against Sudan, the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Jordan Ayew, and Inaki Williams scored for their respective clubs in the English and Spanish leagues.
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