World Cup 2022: Injury rocks Ghana ahead of global tournament

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Ghana coach Otto Addo has been rocked by injuries to a number of key players which have thrown some of his World Cup plans into uncertainty.

Addo will name his final 26-man squad on deadline day Monday November 14 at 11am.

The German-based gaffer will miss the services of his two goalkeepers Richard Ofori and Jojo Wollacot as well a midfielder Baba Iddrisu.

There is a mounting of injury concerns for coach Otto Addo as he prepares to his name final squad on Monday.

GHANAsoccernet.com Headquarters have reported that several key players are hiding injuries just to make the World Cup to improve their CV’s and grab the financial windfall personally and for clubs.

The unfit players are believed to be concealing injuries rather than pull themselves out of the World Cup due to the setback.

With just seven days left for the start of the World Cup, players are determined to make the cut for the mundial in a bid to increase their market value and for financial gains both to the players and their respective clubs.

With huge financial windfall for players and clubs, it stand to reason why both parties will be ‘hiding’ injuries ahead of the global tournament.

The world governing body will distribute more than $200million to clubs whose players participate in the World Cup in Qatar this winter.

The game’s global governing body confirmed details of its club benefits programme,  announcing $209million had been set aside.

Fifa anticipates that the scheme will mean a payment of $10,000 per player for each day he remains with his national team at the World Cup.

GHANAsoccernet.com Headquarters can report that several top stars of the Black Stars are either hiding injuries or downplaying the extent of damage in a bid to force their way into Otto Addo’s final 26-man squad.

There are serious doubt regarding  Freiburg midfielder Daniel Kofi Kyere – who missed his side’s Bundesliga win over Cologne at the weekend.

Lamptey, 22, was an unused substitute in Brighton’s 3-2 win at Wolves at the Molineux Stadium at the weekend.

Despite starting and lasting 69 minutes on the pitch for Bristol City in their 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough, Antoine Semenyo is believed not to be fully fit.

The City gaffer wants the Ghanaian gaffer Otto Addo to ease him slowly into the team as he yet to recover fully from an injury which has seen him make substitute appearances until this weekend.

Pearson fears any rush could further exacerbate the situation of the Ghana striker due to the nature of his injury.

The 22-year-old has scored three times in his four appearances from the substitute bench for City since he made an injury return and 15 in total for the Ghana striker.

He has been selected in the starting XI in seven of these appearances across their 20 fixtures and been used in a substitute role on eight occasions.

The medical team of the Black Stars are facing integrity crisis with a number of players believed to be injured named in the provisional 55-man squad announced by the Ghana FA on Friday.

Ghana head to Qatar for the World Cup desperately hoping to avoid a repeat of their last major tournament.

At the Africa Cup of Nations in January, Ghana, four-time winners of the continental competition, failed to make the knockout round for the first time in 2006 following a shock defeat to minnows and debutants Comoros.

Their humiliating exit saw them fail to win a match in 22 appearances at the finals and finish bottom of their group.

But Ghana have struggled for form since edging out Nigeria for a place in Qatar in a tie marred by crowd violence in the second leg.

Such is the level of concern over their recent travails that some are even calling for Addo to be replaced before the World Cup, while the country itself has sought divine intervention by having two national days of prayer and fasting in a bid to reverse their fortunes ahead of the tournament.

Ghana have won just two of their 12 matches this year. They were held to a 1-1 draw by the Central African Republic, ranked 132 in the world by FIFA, in their first AFCON qualifier in June, before being thrashed 4-1 by Japan and drawing 0-0 with Chile.