Former Ghana international and current coach Yaw Preko has weighed in on the ongoing debate about foreign-born players struggling to adapt to the Black Stars setup.

Despite delivering top performances for their clubs in Europe, players like Inaki Williams and Antoine Semenyo have found it difficult to replicate the same form when playing for Ghana. Speaking to 3Sports, Preko explained that this struggle is largely due to the unique challenges of African football.

“There are several factors behind their struggles. They need to understand our culture, and our passion for the game is different from what they are used to in Europe. Antoine Semenyo is one of the best, and if we use him well, he can be very effective. But you can’t compare how he plays in Europe to Africa. Even a top player like Salah struggles with Egypt because the African terrain is different,” Preko said.

Some football analysts believe that Inaki Williams’ football upbringing at Athletic Bilbao has contributed to his difficulties with the Black Stars. Williams, born and raised in Spain’s Basque region, switched allegiance to Ghana in 2022 and made his debut in a friendly against Brazil. However, his international career has been underwhelming, with just one goal in 17 appearances for Ghana.