Black Stars Head Coach Otto Addo has stated that he is unwilling to reveal the reasons why some in-form players were left out of the final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Crystal Palace midfielder Jeffery Schlupp, Genk’s Joseph Painstil, and Cremonese’s Felix Afena Gyan were among the players who shockingly missed out on the squad despite their impressive form with their respective clubs.
Coach Addo, speaking at the squad announcement session in Accra, stated that the technical team had engaged and given reasons to players who could not make the squad, so he does not see the need to make them public.
“I wouldn’t like to do to anyone, what I wouldn’t like them to do to me. So I hope you would understand that I would not like to talk to players who are not on the squad.
”The reasons are off-and-on the pitch issues, that have been communicated to the players, so it is between me and the players.
”It is very difficult to understand from the outside, but it is not good to talk about a player. They know the reasons, and I am very sorry about that,” he said.
Coach Addo said he was aware that some players would be disappointed but felt he had selected the best to represent the country.
The Black Stars would play Switzerland in a pre-World Cup friendly on Thursday before heading to Qatar to face Portugal in the first group match on November 24, 2022.