AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: Be bold and consider local players for Somalia games – Odartey Lamptey tells interim Black Stars technical team

Nii Odartey LampteyFormer Ghana international Nii Odartey Lamptey has urged the interim Black Stars technical team to show courage by including players from the Ghana Premier League in their squad for the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Somalia.Ghana are scheduled to face Somalia in a double-header later this month, with the first encounter set for November 12 and the return fixture taking place four days later. Both matches are expected to be played in Ghana.The interim technical team, led by Kim Lars Bjrkegren and assisted by Ibrahim Tanko and Godwin Attram, is expected to announce its squad for the two matches this week.Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show, Odartey Lamptey said the experience within the technical team should give them the confidence to consider home-based players for the crucial fixtures.”Godwin Attram has been with the team, while Kim Lars Bjrkegren has also been with the team before,” he said.”The experience of Ibrahim Tanko cannot be overlooked, and so if they feel they can include local players in the squad for the games, they should be bold and do that.”During my time with the national team, we had more local players in the squad than players playing in Europe.”They should not be scared about that decision; rather, they should be bold and make that decision,” he added.Former Ghana goalkeeper Fatawu Dauda is also part of the interim technical setup as goalkeepers’ trainer.The Black Stars head into the double-header under pressure after a disappointing start to their qualifying campaign, having suffered defeats to Cte d’Ivoire and The Gambia in their opening two Group C matches.Ghana lost 2-0 away to Cte d’Ivoire before surrendering a two-goal advantage in a 4-2 home defeat to The Gambia, leaving them bottom of the group without a point.Having missed out on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Ghana will be desperate to secure maximum points from both encounters against Somalia to revive their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 tournament.



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