Ghana Premier League: Ex-Hearts defender Sumaila Larry raises questions about player quality

Photo Credit - Accra Hearts of Oak.

Former Hearts of Oak defender Larry Sumaila has raised questions about player quality in the current Ghana Premier League.

Sumaila’s comments come after Hearts of Oak and their rivals, Asante Kotoko sold out a drab derby at the Accra Sports Stadium in week 30 on Sunday, May 4 which ended goalless.

The 30-year-old, who signed for the Phobians in 2019, poured out his frustration in an interview with Accra-based Radio Gold.

“When you look at our time, the maturity and the quality of players was very high even though we were criticized by some Hearts of Oak fans that we were not up to the standard,” Larry Sumaila told Radio Gold.

“But when you come to watch us play, you watch beautiful football and everything but now when you look at the quality of players playing in the Ghana Premier League, the quality is down.

“The non-availability of mature players is causing us problems now. When you look at most of the players, they are not familiar with the derby so the mentality and the quality is down and that’s why we are not getting what we need in the Ghana Premier League.

Sumaila’s time at the record FA Cup holders saw his chalk enviable success – winning the premier league, Super Cup and back-to-back FA Cup trophies under former club coach, Samuel Boadu.

Asante Kotoko are racing for the premier league title this season as they sit 4th on the log with 51 points, three away from leaders Nations FC after 30 matches heading into their FA Cup semifinal clash against Berekum Chelsea on May 11 in Tarkwa. Hearts of Oak however sit 6th on the table with 46 points.