Former Black Stars head coach, Charles Kwablan Akonnor, says there were many times the leadership of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) influenced national team call-ups.

Akonnor’s stint as the gaffer of the team lasted shorter than he would have imagined after being appointed in January 2020.

However, strings of undesired results led to his dismissal with Milovan Rajevac coming in as his replacement after 10 games.

Speaking on Joy Sports’ Prime Take, Akonnor revealed player influence was a key challenge for him during his time.

“This is public knowledge, this everywhere,” he said when quizzed about players being imposed on him.

“Many people out there just talk but they have no idea what was happening inside. There were players who couldn’t have come, there were players who were available. They had come for previous matches and didn’t do well. If I had the opportunity of a full squad, I wouldn’t invite them again.

“Players like [Emmanuel] Lomotey for instance, it got to a time I wasn’t happy so I was not going to invite him again.”

The 48-year-old went ahead to claim the frustration he had to go through as a result of the influence almost forced him not to call some players again.

“[Having a final say on player selection] was always a challenge,” he added.

Akonnor won four games and drew two, losing the other four during his tenure in the Black Stars dugout.