Stephen Appiah details why players born abroad struggle to impress with Black Stars

Former Black Stars captain, Stephen Appiah, has shared insights into why Black Stars players who were not born in the country struggle to excel with the team.

He explained that many of these players do not understand the Ghanaian language and culture, which makes it challenging for them to grasp the team's system and integrate their style of play.

Appiah noted that during his time, players had opportunities to interact and familiarize themselves with each other, which helped foreign players acclimate and gel with the team.

Speaking to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports on September 25, 2024, Appiah emphasized that the difficulty foreign players face in adapting to the Black Stars is not due to disrespect towards coaches but rather a lack of socialization.

“These foreign-based players, some of them, don’t speak our local language. When we go to camp, it’s not like in our time when, after lunch or dinner, we would sit, interact, mock each other, and pray together.

"But today, they go to camp and struggle to adapt because they don’t know the culture. It’s not about respect or disrespecting the coaches. I haven’t seen such a thing,” he said.

Watch the video below:

🇬🇭Players born abroad find it difficult to adapt in the Black Stars because they don't understand the language and culture - Ex-Ghana captain, Stephen Appiah#JoySports pic.twitter.com/YTQvptOwFm

— #JoySports (@JoySportsGH) September 25, 2024