Former Vice President of the Ghana Football Association, Fred Pappoe believes that the acute shortage of quality players in the senior national football team, contributed immensely in the Blacks Stars’ failure to qualify to the Russia 2018 World Cup.

Ghana failed to book a fourth consecutive place at the World Cup after missing out on the sole ticket to group leaders Egypt placing third in Group E with 7 points.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on Ghanaweb TV’s Sport Check with host Daniel Oduro, the former Executive Committee member of GFA made an assertion that the inability of the country to produce quality players to compete for their clubs in elite league around the world did the Black Stars a great harm in the qualification process for the World Cup.

“There was a time that when you were watching the UEFA Champions League you would see not more than 3 or 4 Ghanaian players playing up to the final stage. Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, John Mensah, Kwadow Asamoah, Sammy Kuffour and the rest, but look at this time.”

Kwadow Asamoah and Thomas Partey are the only Ghanaian players who have exceled at club levels this season. Asamoah featured in the UEFA Champions League quarter finals stages when Juventus where they bowed out of the competition to Real Madrid whiles Thomas Partey’s Atletico Madrid are on the verge of qualifying to the Europa League finale.



But according to Fred Pappoe, Ghanaian players are generally not doing much compared to other African players who play at good clubs and perform exceedingly, thus helping their countries qualify for the World Cup.

He said, “at which level did you last see a Ghanaian player, all these things are very clear indicators and parameters, if you look at Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal you would see them playing at high level that tells you why they are going to the World Cup.

He continued that, “in terms of quality of players and the clubs they play for, the rest are going down and that will defiantly affect the stock of players we have in the Black Stars.



Pappoe made reference to 2006 when Ghana made a debut at the FIFA World Cup in Germany that about five local players made the 23 man list of the Black Stars, but currently the same cannot be said.

“If you come to the local league, we have the situation where our playere go and play in certain countries with all due respects which would not inure to the benefit of the national team you are building.”

Watch the full interview below