Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Iddie Adams has expressed concern over the limited representation of Ghana-based players in the Black Queens, warning that the trend could pose a challenge to the national teams if left unaddressed.

He said the growing reliance on foreign-based footballers in Ghana’s senior men’s and women’s national teams raised questions about opportunities for players in the domestic leagues and the effectiveness of local player development.

Speaking in an interview with Citi FM on Thursday, Mr Adams said the situation was also affecting the senior women’s team and called for urgent measures to address the concern.

His comments come amid renewed debate over the representation of home-based players in the national teams, following Hearts of Oak goalkeeper Benjamin Asare’s emergence as the only Ghana Premier League player in the Black Stars squad for their recent 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia.

“The same thing is even impacting our senior female national teams now. You hardly will find local players in the teams, which is not good,” the Buem MP said.

“The earlier we correct that one too, the better, before tomorrow we get to the same problem that we have arrived at when it comes to the senior male national team,” he added.

The minister’s concerns about the Black Queens echo his earlier remarks on the Black Stars, when he disclosed that the Sports Ministry had advised the committee tasked with finding a new head coach to prioritise a candidate willing to spend more time in Ghana if a foreign coach was appointed.

The proposal is intended to strengthen the connection between the national team and domestic football while creating more opportunities for locally based players to earn national team call-ups.

Meanwhile, the Black Queens have advanced to the final qualifying round of the 2028 Olympic Games after recording a 10-0 aggregate victory over Mauritius in the second round.

Ghana will face Zambia in February, with a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games at stake.