2022 WCQ: Wakaso, four others excluded from Black Stars squad
Ghana’s senior national team, Black Stars, will open camp without some key players as they start preparing for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers doubleheader against Zimbabwe.
Coach of the Black Stars, Milovan Rajevac, will have to settle on 27 players for camping as five of his initial 32-man squad have requested to be excused from the national team duties due to various reasons.
They include Ismail Abdul Ganiyu of Asante Kotoko, Brentford’s Tariqe Fosu Henry, Fiorentina’s Joseph Alfred Duncan, Mubarak Wakaso and Emmanuel Gyasi of Genoa.
The team is expected to travel to Cape Coast on Tuesday, October 5, where they will begin training in the evening for the first game on Saturday.
Meanwhile, England based right-back Andy Yiadom who plays for Reading FC is being assessed after picking up a knock on Saturday during a Championship game against Cardiff City in the 80th minute.
The team hopes to improve on their unimpressive performance at the start of the qualifiers, winning against a slim margin against Ethiopia in their opening games and losing to South Africa in the second match.
Former coach of the team Charles Akonnor and his assistants lost their jobs after reviewing the team’s performance by the Ghana FA.
Ghana is scheduled to play the Warriors of Zimbabwe in a doubleheader, with the 1st leg set for the Cape Coast Stadium on Saturday, October 9, 2021, and a trip to Harare for the return fixture three days later.
The 27-man squad expected in camp are:
Goalkeepers
Lawrence Ati- Zigi (FC St. Gallen), Richard Atta (Hearts of Oak), Ibrahim Danlad, (Asante Kotoko), Jojo Wallocott (Swindon Town)
Defenders: Philemon Baffuor (Dreams FC), Andrew Yiadom (Reading FC), Gideon Mensah (Bordeaux), Baba Abdul Rahman (Reading FC), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City), Joseph Aidoo (Celta Vigo), Jonathan Mensah (Columbus Crew), Alexander Djiku (Strasbourg).
Midfielders: Thomas Partey (Arsenal FC), Baba Idrissu (Real Mallorca), Emmanuel Lomotey (Amiens), Mohammed Kudus (Ajax Amsterdam), Majeed Ashimeru (RSC Anderlecht), Kofi Kyere (St. Pauli), Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Steadfast FC).
Forwards: Andre Ayew (Al Sadd SC), Kamaldeen Suleymana (Rennes), Joel Fameyeh (Orenburg), Yaw Yeboah (Wisła Kraków), Samuel Owusu (Al-Fayha FC), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Caleb Ekuban (Genoa), Benjamin Tetteh (Yeni Malatyaspor)