Ghana squad has no future; says top GFA executive Wilfred Osei

Ghana FA Executive Committee member Wilfred Osei ‘Palmer’ says the Black Stars squad for the 2014 World Cup has ‘no future’ after all the players from the Ghana U20 team were left out of the side.

Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah named a strong provisional 26-man squad without including a single player from the Black Satellites team that won bronze at the 2013 U20 World Cup in Turkey.

This is in direct contrast to what happened four years ago in the lead up to the finals in South Africa where several players of the victorious Ghana U20 team in 2009 were promoted to the Black Stars.

Players such as Andre Ayew, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Samuel Inkoom, Jonathan Mensah and Opoku Agyemang were major beneficiaries of the wholesale promotion to the Black Stars following their U20 success in Egypt in 2009.

Andre Ayew, Jonathan Mensah and Samuel Inkoom subsequently made Ghana’s squad and played in their first World Cup finals in 2010.

They have gone on to become integral members of the current Black Stars set up who look to take the World by storm once more again this June in Brazil.

The Ghana FA Executive Committee member fears the Black Stars may not have such a bright future following the exclusion of members of the recent Ghana U20 team despite the inclusion of youngsters such as Rabiu Mohammed, Rashid Sumaila, Mubarak Wakaso, David Accam, Jordan Ayew and Abdul Majeed Waris in the provisional World Cup squad.

“There is no future in this team,” he told Happy FM.

“If a player like Paul Pogba is in the French national team, I don’t see why someone like Clifford Aboagye who he played against in the midfield can’t be in the Ghana squad.

“Then there is Ebenezer Assifuah who impressed at the [Ghana U20] World Cup.

“The squad was communicated without my contribution so I wasn’t able to argue this point.

“But unfortunately, that is the situation everywhere as selection is the prerogative of the coach.”

The Ghana squad will begin preparations towards the 2014 World Cup in a non-residential camp from Tuesday in Accra.

The team will then travel to the Netherlands to intensify their preparations on Saturday having played a farewell match against a local select side at the Accra Sports Stadium.