‘Be fair with World Cup call-ups’ – Asamoah Gyan to Black Stars Coach

Ex-Black Stars Skipper Asamoah Gyan is urging the yet-to-be named Ghana coach to be fair to players, who made key contributions to the nation’s World Cup qualifying campaign, when drafting the final squad for Qatar 2022.

Despite the possibility of injuries ruling out some existing members of the Black Stars squad, there are growing fears that the pursuit of selected foreign based players of Ghanaian descent, could force the yet-to-be named Coach to overlook some players, who played 90% of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Reports say the GFA are tracking seven players including Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, Southampton defender Salisu Mohammed, Eintracht Frankfurt winger Ansgar Knauff, Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, Brighton right wing-back Tariq Lamptey and Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams and his brother Athletic Bilabao winger Nico Williams, to play for Ghana at the World Cup.

“It happened to my brother (Baffour Gyan) and Baba Amando in 2006, he played 90% of the qualifiers and they brought strikers who hadn’t even kicked a ball. It really shut him down so now he doesn’t watch football, unless I am playing. He’s always reading business related books since he is a businessman. So, sometimes people have be treated fairly,” Gyan told Accra based Asaase Fm.

“The only player who was able to fight his way into the team was Kevin Prince Boateng even though he was not in the plans of the Coach. So, if they bring these kind of players who haven’t played in the qualifiers they have to show up and fight,” the 2010 BBC African Footballer of the Year award winner added.

Ghana will open its 2022 World Cup campaign with a Group H top liner against Portugal in Doha on November 24. The Black Stars then face South Korea in Al Rayyan four days later before rounding up their group campaign against sworn-rivals Uruguay in Al Wakrah on December 2.