‘The pitches are poor’ – Agyemang-Badu explains why foreign players struggle in the Black Stars

Christopher Sededzi Kwame 17:02 - 11 September 2026

Inaki Williams and Antoine Semenyo

Ghana midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu explains why foreign-based players can struggle with the Black Stars, pointing to poor pitches as a major challenge.

Former Ghana international Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu has jumped to the defense of foreign-born players who struggle to replicate their European club form for the Black Stars, pointing to deplorable local pitches and a lack of cultural integration as the real culprits.

In recent years, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has heavily actively recruited diaspora talents to bolster the national team.

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However, Ghanaians have heavily criticized these European-raised stars for failing to match the intensity and quality they display for their clubs overseas.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Pulse Ghana, Agyemang-Badu argued that it is unfair to expect fluid, top-tier football from these players when they are forced to play on substandard surfaces.

Using English Premier League forward Antoine Semenyo as an example, the former Udinese midfielder pushed back against the fan criticism.

Agyemang-Badu stated,

The problematic problem we have in this country is infrastructure

Because if you have Semenyo and you are telling him to come and play in such pitches. And you are telling me that, 'Oh, why is it that when he's at Man City he's playing like this, but when he comes here he cannot play?' To play on which pitch?

Agyemang-Badu pointed out that while locally raised players grew up adapting to rough, uneven grounds, players developed on pristine European turf cannot simply switch their style overnight.

He even experienced this firsthand when he returned to the Ghana Premier League after a decade in Europe.

He confessed,

You see, we were raised here, so we can adapt to the kind of pitches. But even I, when I left for Italy, came back and played for the Great Olympics one year. The way I was struggling on the pitches. Because a lot has changed

Quality alone is not enough. We need infrastructure to bring the best out of the guys.

Beyond the physical challenges of the pitches, Agyemang-Badu, who has transitioned into a football administrator and tactical scout, highlighted a major psychological gap.

He noted that simply flying foreign-born players into the country is not enough; they must be actively taught what it means to wear the Ghanaian jersey.

If you want to bring footballers from outside the country... the kind of things you need to let them know: socialization, culture, and the demand of the nation

Agyemang-Badu explained.

All these kinds of things have helped me to know much about the scouting and the kind of players you need.

Agyemang-Badu’s comments highlight a major concern for the Black Stars as Ghana continues to rely on dual-national players to rebuild the squad.

Until the country improves its stadium infrastructure and properly welcomes diaspora players into the local culture, fans will rarely see the best from their European-based stars.

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