No true U17's in Ghana, says coach Sarpong

Ghanaian coach J.E Sarpong says he is not surprised by the imminent CAF ban facing the nation over age-cheating claims.

The GFA have appealed CAF’s decision to disqualify Ghana’s U17 team from next year’s African Junior Championships after a successful protest by Cameroon over one of the players used by the Black Starlets during the qualifiers.

CAF claims one of the players used by Ghana after an independent medical assessment in October does not fall within the age category for the U17 competition.

But the Ghana FA remains adamant all of its players passed the mandatory MRI scan as the basis for their appeal.

But coach Sarpong, who is widely credited for discovering Asamoah Gyan at a tender age says there is no ‘true’ U17 player in Ghana.

“The truth of the matter is that we don’t have a true 17-year-old in Ghana football, so I am not surprised by the recent development,” he told Hello FM.

“Because of the winning attitude of Ghanaians, where it is a win at all cost, officials are forced to give ages to players.

“So if you are a player with a baby face, they just give you an age for you to play regardless of the true age.

“We need to go down to the school level and get players with their true ages.

“When I hear the ages of some of our big name players like Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari, I just laugh my head off.”