‘Pay to Play’: Stonebwoy takes on GFA over Black Stars World Cup squad

The debates which raged on social media prior to the announcement of the Black Stars squad for the World Cup have only ramped up after Otto Addo named his 26-man team.

Fans are heatedly discussing who should have been left out of the squad and which players should have taken their place.

And it’s not just the sports pundits having their say either.

Dancehall artiste, Stonebwoy has waded into the debate with a more controversial take.

After the squad was named, Stonebwoy tweeted, insinuating that because of “pay to play” some more deserving players were left out of the squad.

“There are players who are supposed to be in the squad who are not here because of #PayToPlay. GFA why?” he posted on Twitter.

Stonebwoy’s comments are, as yet, unproven.

Otto Addo explained his rationale for picking the players at an event on Monday.

He stated that he considered both “on-field and off-field criteria” before making a final decision on which players would make it to Qatar.

Addo said the willingness of the players to play for the national team when they are called up, was a key part of his criteria when picking the squad for the 2022 World Cup.

He was insistent that being called up to the national team should be seen “as an honour.”

“We have strong values to build our team. We have criteria on the pitch but also off the pitch. One criterion off the pitch is the readiness and the willingness to come and play for the Black Stars whenever you’re called up,” he said after naming the 26-man squad.