The Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has rejected claims that government officials or external forces influence player selection for the Black Stars.
His comments follow Ghana’s disappointing exit from the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup, where the national team bowed out at the Round of 32 stage after a 1-0 defeat to Colombia.
The result marked Ghana’s first appearance in the World Cup knockout phase since 2010, but the team’s early elimination has sparked debate over various aspects of the national team, including player selection.
Speaking in an interview with Joy News, Mr Adams insisted that the responsibility for selecting players rests solely with the Black Stars head coach and not political office holders.
He explained that the roles of government and football authorities are clearly defined, with ministers having no mandate to choose players for the national team.
“You have a duty to let them know that the work of a minister is not to [select players],” the Buem MP said.
According to him, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation’s role is to provide policy direction, support the development of the sector, and collaborate with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) on issues such as the appointment of the national team coach.
He stressed that once a coach is appointed, technical decisions, including squad selection and tactics, remain within the coach’s authority.
“The work of a minister is to work with the FA to appoint a coach who has the responsibility to make sure he selects the players; that’s why he is paid. That’s why we have the FA, that’s why we have the coach,” he said.
Mr Adams argued that allowing political leaders to determine the composition of the Black Stars would weaken the authority of the technical team and defeat the purpose of appointing a coach.
He maintained that coaches must be given the freedom to make football decisions while also being held accountable for the team’s performance.
“If we want the minister to select the players, then there should be no coach again. So the minister will select the players, and we don’t have to pay the coach to do that,” he added.
Despite reaching the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time in 16 years, Ghana’s campaign ended after the defeat to Colombia.
The Black Stars will now turn their attention to preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
