After several weeks of intense rumors, the suspense surrounding the announcement of the official squad list for Ghana’s double World Cup qualifiers against Mali and Central African Republic happened on Wednesday, May 30, 2024, at the Ghana Football Association headquarters.
The GFA organized a press conference at its headquarters that saw Otto Addo officially introduced for his second stint as head coach of the West African football nation and his first official squad announcement.
READ MORE: Otto Addo delighted to return to the BlackStars
Ghana billed to play against Mali and Central African Republic would have media men and others draw up their squad list for players they feel should make the squad. Still, the technical team holds different parameters for the selection of varying tirades technically to what the media landscape and football populace see in a player and why he should be called to represent the nation at the senior level.
In the end, when the dust settled, Ibrahim Sulemana (Cagliari), and Thomas Brandon Asante (West Brom Albion) will make their debuts backed by local content in the goalkeeping department, Fredrick Asare (Kotoko).
READ MORE: Otto Addo speaks on the omission of Andre Ayew from Ghana squad
The exclusion of the Black Stars captain, Andre Ayew from the squad list sent shivers down the spine of a host of journalists in the press conference room. His exclusion divided opinions, and his admirers made a case for why he should have made the squad because his 5 goals for Le Havre earned him the club’s top goal scorer at the just-ended Ligue 1 season.
When the time was due for questioning, the multimillion-dollar question on the minds, hearts, and lips of many was why he was excluded from the doubleheader qualifiers.
Otto Addo replied “At the moment, Andre is a living legend of Ghana. It’s unbelievable what he did for the country and it’s the most difficult decision because I like him as a person and also as a player. And this is a decision we took not like we agreed but I gave him the explanation,”. he ended.
READ MORE : FULL: Ghana squad for World Cup Qualifiers; Andre Ayew dropped
These answers would sit not well for many who were akin to Ayew and his career for the Black Stars. His legacy spanned decades, since his debut on August 7, 2007, under then-head coach, Claude Le Roy, who later named him a squad member as an 18-year-old for the AFCON 2008 staged in Ghana. His inclusion at the time drew loads of backlash with many suggesting he was not ripe for senior-level football but posterity is the best judge for what he has gone on to achieve in his football career with the male national team within that interval.
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His quest with the Black Satellites, aided them to win the WAFU U-20, AFCON U-20, and the FIFA U-20 World Cup scoring pivotal goals on the stretch to glory.
He has gone on to play, eight AFCON tournaments, and three World Cups (2010, 2014, 2022) and holds the record for the most-capped player with 120 appearances. He is Ghana’s highest scorer at the AFCON and also has played the most games in the tournament’s history.
Ayew has served the country through thick and thin, he has had issues with the setup but one thing you call into question is his commitment, loyalty, and passion for playing for the country in any game.
But like any other facet of life, there is a start and finish to how things evolve. the former Marseille player has served the nation endlessly well through his might and strength but it’s looking increasingly glaring that, Otto Addo is trying to change the dynamics of how the team plays. He said, “I can’t promise victories but I can promise you that we will play good football. I want to bring back the joy of watching us play, my players will not be afraid of the ball,” he said.
His recent call-ups highlighted his vision. His willingness to integrate promising youngsters, Ibrahim Sulemana, Abu Francis, Brandon Thomas Asante, Abdul Munin, and Ibrahim Osman spells an indication of the direction Addo wants from his second tenure.
Hopefully, with the new phased set to be ushered in with this bunch of young bulls, filled with so much skill set, technical abilities, and with age on their side will be able to implement the type of football he harbors within for the BlackStars.
For Dede Ayew, if this marks the end of an era he should accept it in good fate holding his head high knowing that his tenure with the BlackStars may not have ended with a trophy in a cabinet that the offices of the Ghana Football Association but some of the memories served, achievements over the years would be cherished and linger on the minds of the people for years to come.
