• CK Akonnor named 8 local players in the latest Black Stars call-up

• The Black Stars have gone nearly four decades without an Afcon trophy

• Stephen Appiah has urged the local payers to prove their worth in the national team when invited

Former Black Stars captain, Stephen Appiah has said that local players have a big role to play to help Ghana break its long wait for an African Cup of Nations(AFCON) trophy.

The Black Stars haven't won any trophy since 1982, and in that tournament that was hosted by Libya, the Ghana team was dominated by players who plied their trade in the Ghana Premier League.

As Ghana continues to prepare for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, coach Charles Akonnor has invited eight local players in his 26-man-squad for the friendly games against Morocco and Ivory Coast in June.

This, according to Stephen Appiah is a call in the right direction as he believes that the local players will have a role to play for Ghana to win an Afcon.

“I think so because this season, the league is looking interesting and very competitive. Years back there would have been a 12-year difference between the top two but this time around it is not like that.

“And all the teams have about 3 or 4 players that are outstanding and at a point, we were not seeing that. That means they are doing well and our league is going well,” Appiah said in an interview with TV3 monitored by GhanaWeb.

Razak Abalora, Ibrahim Danlad, Ismail Ganiyu, Joseph Adjei, Gladson Awako, Rashid Nortey, Philemon Baffuor, and Abdul Fatawu Issahaku are the local contingent for the upcoming Black Stars' friendly games.

You can also watch this week's episode of the GhanaWeb Friday Debate with Joel Eshun below: