Chris Hughton Continues to Snub Local Players : The Black Stars head coach has refused to invite a single home-based player in his first two Black Stars selections and this underlines how low the Ghana Premier League has sank.
Currently the Ghana Football Association is ranked 27th on the CAF 5-year raking alongside Mauritania and Benin for the 2023/24 CAF Club season.
The three countries are the worst member associations on the current rankings and so when one considers this fact , it seems to make sense that no home-based player has been able to make it into Hughton’s list. The foreign-based players totally dominate.
The fact that not even one local player has been invited by the former Technical Advisor to Ghana boss Otto Addo at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is a big point of concern for all followers and lovers of the Ghana Premier League.
Hughton and his assistants have been seen at various league centers in the country , from Accra to Kumasi to Dormaa but it appears the Black Stars technical handlers were not impressed by the quality of footballers they have watched.
In his maiden Ghana call-ups in March for the 2023 African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Angola , goalkeeper Joseph Addo was doing well for then league leaders Aduana FC but was neglected as inactive Manaf Nurudeen of KAS Eupen of Belgium was invited.
Manaf does not play at his club as he has been a benchwarmer for almost all the season but he keeps receiving national team selections ahead of active ones.
Sitting on KAS Eupen bench as a reserve goalkeeper is better than been the best goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in the Ghana Premier League ; indirectly this is the message Hughton and his assistant coaches are sending out there.
The full Ghana squad for the AFCON Qualifier Against Madagascar :
Goalkeepers: Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St. Gallen), Joseph Wollacott (Charlton Athletic), Abdul Manaf Nurudeen (KAS Eupen)
Defenders: Denis Odoi (Club Brugge), Alidu Seidu (Clermont Foot), Gideon Mensah (Auxerre), Patrick Kpozo (Sheriff Tiraspol), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City), Joseph Aidoo (Celta Vigo), Alexander Djiku (Strasbourg), Nicholas Opoku (Amiens)
Midfielders: Thomas Partey (Arsenal FC), Mohammed Kudus (Ajax Amsterdam), Majeed Ashimeru (Anderlecht), Salis Abdul Samed (Lens), Edmund Addo (Spartak Subotica)
Wingers: Joseph Painstil (Genk), Osman Bukari (Red Star Belgrade), KamalDeen Sulemana (Southampton), Ernest Nuamah (FC Nordsjaelland)
Attackers: Andre Ayew (Nottingham Forest), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Kwasi Okyere Wriedt (Holstein Kiel).
The poor performance of Ghanaian clubs in Africa and the shambolic show of the Black Galaxies at the last CHAN tournament in Algeria have been cited by certain people who support the decision of Mr. Chris Hughton.
Abednego Tetteh may have scored 16 goals as leader of goals of the current Ghana Premier League season , Hafiz Wontah of Bechem United has 15 goals and Sampson Eduku of Tamale City has netted 14 times but it seems these players to do get the respect that under normal circumstance they should as top three goal scorers of the country’s top-flight.
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