Former Ghana international Alhaji Abdul-Razak
Former Ghana international Alhaji Abdul-Razak says a strong domestic league is key to building a competitive Black Stars team, arguing that Ghana must develop the local game instead of relying heavily on foreign-based players.
Speaking in an interview with GTV Sports, Abdul-Razak said the local league remains the primary source of talent for the national team.
“Who feeds the Black Stars? It’s the local league. Usually, when your local league is good, it metamorphoses into the Black Stars,” he stated.
He believes a competitive Ghana Premier League can produce players capable of competing at the highest level and reduce the national team’s dependence on players based abroad.
“So we wouldn’t be over-relying on half-big or half-talented foreign-based players, because our local league can equally produce such standards, if not better,” he said.
Abdul-Razak, however, expressed concern about what he described as the failure of successive governments to give sufficient attention to football.
“Successive governments have paid lip service to these things.”
He was particularly critical of Ghana’s inability to consistently maintain stadiums that meet international standards.
Abdul-Razak questioned why Ghana should struggle to provide suitable venues for major international matches when neighbouring countries are able to meet the required standards.
“When your neighbours, when Togo, at a point in time, we didn’t have a certified, fit-for-purpose stadium to host international matches, Category A matches in Ghana, we were thinking of going to play in Togo. Are you telling me the GDP of Togo is better than that of Ghana?” he questioned.
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He also cited Mali as an example, saying the country has several stadiums that meet CAF and international requirements.
“Mali has five certified stadiums to meet CAF and international standards. So it’s a shame as a nation.”
The former Black Stars star also turned his criticism towards the Confederation of African Football (CAF), accusing the continental body of contributing to Ghana’s stadium challenges by granting concessions to facilities that do not fully meet the required standards.
“CAF itself is complicit in our inability to have adequate stadia fit for purpose.”
According to Abdul-Razak, CAF sometimes recommends corrective measures and grants stadiums temporary approval, but the necessary improvements are not always carried out.
He cited the Barbera Sports Stadium as an example, arguing that after concessions were made, the facility eventually deteriorated and was suspended.
“It’s not as if they compromise and then we make it better. That is the problem.”
Abdul-Razak believes Ghana would have been forced to act more quickly if it had actually been banned from hosting international matches.
“If we were banned, and then we had to travel to like Togo, and the shame it would have brought onto the nation, I’m telling you, we would have hurriedly found a way to get at least one or two standardised stadiums,” he added.
He said such facilities should be capable of hosting major matches at both CAF and FIFA levels.
Usually, when your local league is good, it positively impacts the Black Stars. That way, we don’t have to depend on half-baked foreign players - Alhaji Abdul-Razak #GTVSports pic.twitter.com/E7PYXGvfhn
— GTVSports+ (@mygtvsports) August 21, 2026
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