Stonebwoy Calls for Inclusion of Local Players in Black Stars After AFCON Failure

• Ghanaian reggae-dancehall musician Stonebwoy has backed the inclusion of home-based players to the Black Stars
• The four-time African champions have failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 20 years
• The Black Stars finished bottom of their group in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, failing to win a game

Musician Stonebwoy has called for the inclusion of home-based players in the Black Stars.

The reggae-dancehall singer believes players plying their trades in the Ghana Premier League are good enough to wear the Black Stars jersey.

His comments come following the country's failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Stonebwoy stresses importance of local players

“It is very important to have local players as part of the building of the national team," he said on Asempa FM, as quoted by My Joy Online.

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“The little I understand is that these teams need to be built from the grassroots, and local inclusion is key. We cannot just rely on players called from outside.

“We have to build a system where we can grow our own. If we cannot fish into the Black Stars from the Ghana Premier League, then what is the use of the Ghana Premier League? It’s very important to include players from Ghana.”

Stonebwoy, known in real life as Livingstone Etse Setakla, travelled to Ivory Coast early this year to watch the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Just like many Ghanaians, the multiple award-winning musician remains disappointed by the Black Stars' AFCON failure.

Local players prove a point

German trained coach Otto Addo took a leap of faith in November and included several locally based players in his team for the Africa Cup of Nations against Angola and Niger.

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Nations FC defender Razak Simpson impressed in both games, endearing himself to Ghanaian football fans.

Ghana U20 star and Thoughts FC player Jerry Afriyie also netted on his Black Stars debut against Niger, as reported by Ghana Soccernet.

Ghana legend Abedi Pele advises GFA

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported on Ghanaian great Abedi Pele advising Ghana's Football Association on getting their house in order following poor results.

The Black Stars failed to qualify for an AFCON tournament for the first time in 20 years after finishing bottom in Group F of the qualifiers.

Source: YEN.com.gh