We don’t need unfit players at the World Cup!
Otto Addo – Ghana coach
It is exactly eight days left to the start of the 2022 Qatar World Cup tournament.
And, for many Ghanaians, the Black Stars would have to show up and be counted – exorcising the demons that haunted them at the 2018 Mundial in Brazil which saw the team crash out in the opening round.
The worry of the fans, however, is the kind of team that Ghana is showcasing for the one-month quadrennial festival, in view of rumours making the rounds that a decent number of the players are concealing their injuries to be able to make the final cut. This is not strange at all.
Indeed, we have a disturbing history of sending injured players to tournaments, hoping that they would recover early enough for games. Ridiculous, right?
In the last African Cup of Nations held in Cameroon in January this year, Mohammed Kudus was named in the Ghana squad, even though he was recuperating from a rib injury that had seen him out of action since November 2021.
Similarly, Mubarak Wakaso
was recovering from injury and looked all-too unfit for that tournament, yet, found himself in the final cut for the biennial contest.
Any surprise that the Black Stars were flushed out of the campaign in the first round, losing even to Comoros 3-2 in the final Group C game?
It is believed that the likes of Freiburg midfielder Daniel Kofi Kyere – who missed his side’s Bundesliga win over Cologne at the weekend and Tariq Lamptey – an unused substitute in Brighton win at Wolves, are all not fit enough. Kamaldeeen Sulemana also missed Rennes clash against Lille due to injury. Bristol City forward Antoine Semenyo is believed to be unfit.
As a matter of fact, Ghana’s medical team must be facing an integrity crisis with the number of players believed to be carrying injuries named in the provisional 55-man squad announced by the Ghana FA last Friday.
The work of Dr Prince Pambo, the new Black Stars’ Team Doctor, is now well cut out – and would attract the cynosure of thousands of eyes, as Ghana names its final 26-man squad for Qatar.
Dr Pambo is known to be a no-nonsense personality in this regard and would be expected not to play to the gallery.
Perhaps, by the time this piece comes out, Ghana may have unveiled their final set of players for the Qatar mission.
It does not, however, negate the fact that Ghana needs a formidable, loyal, fit and determined band of players to represent the nation. We need a team of players whose performance can carve out victories. We need players who are prepared to die for the shirt, anytime – and grind the result in the midst of very Herculean challenges.
That the Stars have won just two of their 12 matches this year, is a biting concern. Ghana were held to a 1-1 draw by the Central African Republic, ranked 132 in the world by FIFA, in their first AFCON qualifier in June, before being thrashed 4-1 by Japan and drawing 0-0 with Chile in the Kirin Cup tournament in June. The team also slumped 0-3 to Brazil and managed a slim 1-0 win over Nicaragua in the international friendly double-header in September.
Ghana meet Switzerland on November 17, three days before the World Cup commences and the Stars’ performance in that game should give us a hint as to what form they are carrying to the tournament.
The four-time African champions will battle old foes Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea in Group H.
