Ghanaian football legend Tony Yeboah says that football will not develop in the country if appointments to the national team always go to the highest bidder.
According to him, talented players are always passed over because they are not backed by rich sponsors.
Yeboah has played for the Black Stars for over a decade and was part of the team that reached the 1992 AFCON finals.
Speaking to some journalists at the Yegola Hotel in Kumasi, he said the way national teams are managed needs to change.
"If your father is not wealthy, you cannot play for the national team. But we do not use that philosophy to develop football," the former Leeds United striker said, as quoted by Ghanasoccernet.
"They have to pay money before they are recognized, so how will our football develop? And the challenge is that all the talented players do not have access to the national teams and they are missing in practise.
"The draft for money should stop because many players are not getting a fair chance to play for Ghana."
Yeboah's comments come after Ghana's disappointing exit from the group stage of AFCON 2021 in Cameroon.
The Black Stars have not fared well in the tournament after a humiliating 3-2 loss to Comoros last Tuesday.
As a result, Ghana finished last in Group C after failing to win any of their three group matches.
It is also the first time since 2006 that the Black Stars have been eliminated from the AFCON at the group stage.