Hearts of Oak goalkeeper, Richard Attah says that the poor nature of pitches in the Ghana Premier League counts against local players when they team up with their foreign-based colleagues at the Black Stars.

He says that most of the pitches in the Ghana Premier League are bad making even difficult when a local playr plays with the Black Stars.

Most local players have been used as training horses by various Black Stars coaches as they barely make the squad during call-ups.

He says that due to the poor nature of our pitches, it takes a while for local players to settle down when  they earn call up to the Black Stars.

“I think the local league lacks a lot of things. If you make it to the national team before you jell with them, they [the coaches] would have gotten their team already. The main factor is the pitch," he told Accra-based Angel FM.

"As a local player, the main challenge for local players is the pitch. Because the professionals want the pitch wet, which makes everything different.

“When receiving the ball it travels from you a bit, so after you begin to settle and get used to it in three or four days, they would have gotten their team already. If you don’t wet the pitch they can’t play.

Attah recounted how he struggled to adjust to the condition of the pitches in the local league after spending weeks with the Black Stars for the 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in January this year.

“For me, when I came back after the AFCON, I struggled in training because the ball did not move fast. It took me two weeks to get used to. [While at AFCON] the ball was fast so it sharpened my reflexes.”

When asked if the difference between local and foreign players is the tempo of the respective leagues, he answered “I think so.”

The Hearts goalkeeper has the last few years between 2021-2022 had four call ups to the Black Stars and was at the 2021 AFCON.