Liberty withdraw players from national teams

Ghana's model football club Liberty Professionals have angrily vowed not to release their player for future national team matches.

The Dansoman-based side are fed up over allegations that they influence selection of players into the country's various national teams.

These allegations hit a new low when last week when Sellas Tetteh, a coach of Liberty, was appointed to coach Ghana's U-20 team on full time basis

Liberty Professional have now carried out their threat by refusing to allow their players to join the Black Satellites, the country's U-20 side.

"They have officiallly informed us that they vwill not release their players to join the national team," Jordan Anagbla, chairman of Black Satellites management committee, said.

"They are not happy that they are always accused that their players are always invited into the national teams not on merit.

"We have tried to use the Ghana FA president to plead with them to release the players to join the Satellites but they have refused."

Liberty have a comprehensive football system from the junior levels and most of their players are earn call-ups into the national team.

Their coaches Jones Attuquayefio and Sellas Tetteh are also regular national team coaches and their appoinmtments also help in fuelling these allegations.

However most of the key players of Ghana's national teams played for Liberty before joining European clubs.

Africa's most expensive player Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, John Paintsil, Asamoah and Baffour Gyan and Kwadwo Asamoah all played for Liberty before leaving for Europe.