AshantiGold coach Bashir Hayford was involved in a banter with a reporter over the lack of minutes for national goalkeeper Fatau Dauda in the league after the Miners salvaged a draw against Hasaacas on Sunday.
The Black Stars goalie, though fully fit, is yet to feature for the champions in the 2015/16 Ghana Premier League although he was in post in their 3-1 defeat to Algerian side MO Bejaia in the CAF Champions League.
This trend has raised questions over what could have informed the decision to consistently drop the former Chippa United shot-stopper but Bashir Hayford explains Dauda’s exclusion is no special case.
“I have twelve (12) players who have not started, I don’t give reasons to them because we have thirty (30) and we have to select some but he’s in a jersey. No comment!,” the coach responded to a question from reporter at a post-match presser.
He continued: “I said ‘No Comment!’. We have thirty (30) players. I train them and I select some for a match and he’s in a jersey and I decided to play [Dabuo] first and he comes in second. No problem!.”
The reporter’s insistence on why a national goalkeeper in the calibre of Dauda is made to go four straight games without action was met by:
“A national team [goalkeeper] eerrrr this thing doesn’t mean he’s the best. No, it doesn’t mean like that [sic].
“He’s a good goalkeeper and we also have another good goalkeeper. When we went to Algeria, he kept and so when we came here we also wanted the other goalkeeper to also keep for some time, that’s all.”
Nobody has sidelined him; he has been in Jersey all out… Are you not a potential journalist for CNN, have they called you?,” Bashir Hayford quipped.
Ashgold have five (5) points from 4 games played in the league but Fatau Dauda’s inactivity could cost him his place in the about to be released Black Stars squad for the back-to-back Afcon 2017 qualifying games against Mozambique later this month.
