Stevanovic insists he is his own man

Ghana coach Goran Stevanovic has asked Ghanaians to trust in his ability to make the right calls for the Black Stars and insists he is the man solely in charge of player call-ups to the national team.

The Serbian's decision to leave the in-form Andre Ayew out of the side for the two games against Sudan and Nigeria and the seeming inconsistencies in the criteria for player call-ups was the main subject of an inquisition at his pre-game press conference before the international friendly against Nigeria.


Suggestions that other non-football factors have influenced his recent call ups, a section heavily pursued by sections of the media seems to have riled the Serbian who was facing the Ghanaian media for he first time since the controversial calls.


And he used the occasion to insist that for every game he makes the call on which players to call up based on the opponent.


He claimed the Olympique Marseille midfielder was not fully fit at the time he was finalizing his squad for the two games and and said e was not sure if he will recover in good time. "I think I made a good decision," he added.

Asked about the continued absence of AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng from the side, Stevanovic insisted the door was not shut in the face of any player.


"Door is open for everybody. I don't forget. Rule for all is discipline. The players believe me and I believe in the team too."


As the inquisition centred heavily on the decisions he has made as Ghana boss at the expense of the Nigeria game, the Serbian lost his cool briefly, suggesting it was not right to be focussing on absent players after qualification for the Nations Cup.


"I don't know why after a great game against Sudan to qualify for the Nations Cup we need to walkabout negative things. I take decisions and I stand by the decisions," he adds.