Portugal withdraws Ghana-born prodigy from Uefa U19 Championship

Portugal have been forced to withdraw their Ghana-born prodigy Asumah Abubakar-Ankra from their squad at the ongoing 2016 Uefa Under-19 Championship in Germany over eligibility concerns, sparking hopes that he could play for the Black Stars in the near future.

The 19-year-old, who has played two matches so far for the European country at the tournament, has been forced to leave the competition.

This comes after it emerged that he doesn't fully qualify to play for them per FIFA laws as he must satisfy certain conditions since he was not born in Portugal.

The decision to withdraw the talented Ghanaian player is over concerns that he might not have satisfied the mandatory two-year continuous Portugal residency requirement that makes him eligible for their passport.

The revelation offer a big hope for Ghana that he could still play for the country of his birth without needing a nationality switch.

Asumah Ankrah, currently plays for Dutch side Willem II, was born in Kumasi to Ghanaian parents and played for youth side Corners Babies.

He played his first official match for Portugal during last week 1-1 draw against Austria when he came on as a substitute.

The midfielder scored in their next game against Germany when they beat the hosts 4-3 which drew attention that he has not secured all the clearance to play for Portugal even though he holds their passport.

"Asumah Abubakar-Ankra, an under-19 international, is a holder of a [Portuguese] passport issued on February 4, 2016 by the Foreigners and Borders Service and is as such a Portuguese citizen," the Portuguese Football Federation said in a statement.

"However, information received in the last hour raises doubts about full compliance with FIFA assumptions of participation in an international competition, so it was decided to immediately withdraw the player from the Euro Under-19.

"This decision has been communicated to UEFA."

With this development, Ghana can enter the fray and ask the youngster to play for the Black Satellites or the Black Stars.

With this development, FIFA could ask him to switch nationality before he can play for Ghana.