I was stunned Baba Rahman played ahead of Gideon Mensah against Uruguay - Frederick Acheampong

Published on: 20 December 2022
I was stunned Baba Rahman played ahead of Gideon Mensah against Uruguay - Frederick Acheampong
DOHA, QATAR - NOVEMBER 24: Abdul Rahman Baba of Ghana looks on during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group H match between Portugal and Ghana at Stadium 974 on November 24, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Executive Council member of the Ghana Football Association [GFA], Frederick Acheampong has revealed that he questioned the rationale behind why Baba Rahman was selected ahead of Gideon Mensah in the final group game against Uruguay.

Having started the opening game against Portugal, Baba Rahman, who is on loan at Reading FC in the English Championship was slammed and criticised for his porous defending as the Black Stars suffered a 3-2 defeat against the European side.

However, he was dropped in the second group game against South Korea. Gideon Mensah put up a decent performance as the team recorded a 3-2 win.

However, Rahman surprisingly made a return to the team against Uruguay. Ahead of the game, the Black Stars needed a draw to seal a place in the last 16 but suffered a 2-0.

Football fans were left furious with the technical team's decision and the performance of the Dreams FC defender.

Mr Acheampong speaking in an interview disclosed that he questioned the rationale behind why Rahman was selected ahead of Mensah.

“I was asked whether I was happy with what I saw and I said I feel that, for instance, in our game against Portugal the coach made some instant substitutions after we equalised which, I think, brought the momentum of the team down and Portugal capitalised on that to beat us," he told Graphic Sports.

“Even in our last game against Uruguay, I didn’t expect to see Baba Rahman because I saw Gideon Mensah who played in our second game and we won, so Ghanaians were expecting that he would start,” he pointed out.

“So, when I saw Baba Rahman I asked people close to the team and I was told that the coach said he wanted to attack and Baba Rahman was the best left-back when it comes to offensive play,” he added.

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