There are officially five African teams competing in Qatar 2022, and Ghana is among them. Ghana is traditionally a very powerful football nation, claiming the African Cup of Nations on four occasions, and they usually bring their A-game to the field. However, recent times have shown the team’s most obvious fragilities, and after a not-so-impressive AFCON, the Black Stars need to change a few things.
The main event of the team’s composition is the addition of five players that recently switched their other nationality to be able to play for Ghana’s national team. In total, five players are set to be part of the World Cup’s fixture and will supposedly change the face of Ghana’s playing.
Will that move be sufficient for Ghana to shine during the group stage, and will they be able to get a ticket to the quarters? Punters are already placing their wagers on websites like
After a Disastrous AFCON, Ghana is in need of a wake-up call
Let’s face the music: Ghana has been in a bit of turmoil since 2021, mainly because of a string of poor results and a missed opportunity at the African Cup of Nations, where they only managed to bring 1 point during the group stage.
While many factors explain why the once glorious Ghanaian football team has been doing so poorly, exiting a competition without a single win leaves a bitter taste in the nation’s throat, and the team desperately needs to bounce back. The first move was the departure of coach Milovan Rajevac, who has been deemed responsible for the defeat by the Parliament of Ghana.
However, the pain didn’t last forever, and Ghana went back on track to qualify for the World Cup after a successful encounter with Nigeria. Now, the main concern is to keep the boat afloat and manage a successful World Cup, hence the welcome addition of five bi-nationals to the team.
How FIFA made it easier to switch countries for Ghanaian Player
Switching nationality to compete in world-class events is no easy feat, and some of us are left wondering how it became possible for Tariq Lamptey, Inaki Williams, Mohammed Salisu, Stephan Ambrosius, and Patrick Pfeffer to join the team on such short notice. The secret of this swiftly executed naturalization lies in the recent ruling made by FIFA regarding players of double nationality.
In the past, you could not play for two national teams if you were an international player who had been granted double citizenship and if you had already played for your former team. In Circa 2020, FIFA decided to smoothen the tight rule and allow players that only played three events (even friendly matches) with the former team). The decision eased the access of international players playing in Europe to compete for their national teams.
Five Players Welcome To the Team
Needless to say, Ghana jumped on the opportunity to bring world-class players into their team, starting with Inaki Williams. He claims a superb season in the Liga and is now ready to offer his services to Ghana. Tariq Lamptey, a young British lad from Ghanaian origins is also on board but remains a promising rising star in Chelsea, where he was formed at the age of 8.
Mohammed Salisu made a very satisfying debut with Ghana against Brazil and is a force to be reckoned with during the World Cup 2022. Same for Stephan Ambrosius, who is currently playing defense for Karlsruher SC. Patrick Pfeffer, a German native, has also integrated the Black Stars for the upcoming competition.
Ghana’s chances to strive above a powerful Group H
While integrating new players has been a success, competing against other teams in the deadly Group H will be no easy feat for Ghana. Portugal is one of the strongest teams with Cristiano Ronaldo, who’s more than ready to fight his last World Cup. Uruguay, two times champion, has admittedly been through some strategic difficulties but remains a powerhouse not to be messed with.
Finally, South Korea has its fair share of excellent players, and while they have qualified for the World Cup ten times in a row, it is unclear if they will knock out the group stage easily. To put it bluntly, Ghana still has a chance to rise to quarters as they did in 2010, but it seems very unlikely due to the group’s composition and the team’s recent recomposition.
Source: thecable.ng