Dr Nyaho Tamakloe: Asare has made case for locals
After making his debut for the Black Stars last Friday, goalkeeper Benjamin Asare is believed to have made a strong case for local players with his performance.
The Hearts of Oak shot-stopper displaced first-choice goalkeeper, Lawrence Ati Zigi, on his first invitation to the national team and went on to keep a clean sheet during their World Cup qualifying game against Chad last Friday.
A board member of Accra Hearts of Oak, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, told the Graphic Sports in an interview that Asare’s performance had proved the quality of local players and urged the national team coach to expand his scouting efforts to all league centres, including the Division One League.
"It was a good decision using Benjamin Asare because he (the coach) has tried all the other goalkeepers, and Asare was able to demonstrate clearly that he is fit for the job," he said.
"He's made a case for the local players, but we can never be home and dry as far as this competition is concerned until local players are featured prominently."
Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe emphasised that Ghana’s past Africa Cup of Nations victories were secured by locally-based players and urged that they be given more opportunities.
He called on the GFA to encourage Coach Otto Addo to focus more on the local league by regularly visiting league centers to scout for talent.
"If the coach limits his visits only to Accra and Kumasi stadia, he might not spot the required talents. He must spread his tentacles by visiting every nook and cranny of the country to identify promising players," he advised.
