Former Ghana international Augustine Arhinful says unpaid coaches working with the country’s junior national teams could become vulnerable to outside influence over player selection.
The former striker has called on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to improve coaches’ working conditions and give them greater independence to develop young players for the senior national team.
Speaking on Ahenfie FM, Arhinful criticised what he believes is excessive interference in the work of coaches, particularly those responsible for Ghana’s junior sides.
“Local coaches have to position themselves well. That’s why we say the coaches are being micro-managed, especially the junior national teams. If we don’t get it right from there, we won’t get it right at the top,” he said.
Arhinful also questioned why the Black Stars’ technical staff are paid while local coaches appointed to junior national teams can be expected to work without remuneration.
“Have you heard that a local coach in charge of any of our national teams has been paid before? The Black Stars coach and the assistant are paid, but where the development of the players begins to reach the senior level, they are not being paid. It’s like we are doing them a favour,” he added.
Concerns over selection influence
Arhinful warned that failing to pay youth coaches could leave them open to financial inducements from people seeking to have particular players included in national team squads.
He referred to his experience as a committee member, saying he had seen situations that highlighted the possible consequences of not paying coaches. However, he stressed that he was not claiming such behaviour was widespread.
“If we don’t pay coaches, they can be influenced because I’ve seen this happen before as a committee member. But I can’t generalise it as the norm,” he said.
According to Arhinful, financial pressure can create an opportunity for individuals to approach coaches with money in return for selecting their preferred players.
“In such instances, someone can bring his player to the coach for selection, and because he hasn’t been paid, he will take the player after taking an amount from the person. That’s all I’m trying to say,” he said.
The former Ghana international said the issue was especially important in junior football, where players begin the pathway that could eventually lead to representing the Black Stars.
He believes coaches should receive timely payment, better working conditions and more autonomy. In his view, those measures would improve accountability and make it more likely that players are chosen on merit rather than through personal connections or financial inducements.
Arhinful added that better management of youth football would help Ghana create a stronger supply of talent for the senior national team.
“If we can correct these little things, then we can be able to tell which player qualified to play in the Black Stars,” he concluded.
