Brighton and Hove Albion defender Tariq Lamptey has revealed that the heartwarming support from Ghanaians during his charity foundation compelled him to switch from playing for England to represent Ghana.
The former Chelsea defender despite representing youth teams of England switched allegiance to play for the Black Stars in July 2022 and was included in the final 26-man squad for the World Cup.
Prior to that, the 22-year-old had been donating to the vulnerable and underprivileged in Ghana despite being born in England.
According to him, the support and appreciation from Ghanaians during those benevolent actions from him influenced his decision to commit himself to the Ghana national flag.
“A number of things came into it especially when it happened and I think one of the big decisions was when I was doing my charity foundation and you see people around and they give you that amazing feeling and you are grateful for the support as always and that influenced my decision to play for the Black Stars,” he told Citi FM.
Lamptey added that he has a good time with the team after making the decision.
“It was an amazing experience for me. We have a good team with most of the players playing in Europe and the boys made it easy for me to come to a family environment and we enjoyed it.
“We know where we can get to and I am honestly grateful,” he added.
Lamptey has been on the sidelines for the past few months due to injury and is expected to miss Ghana’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Madagascar in June.
