None of the Ghana Premier League duo of Daniel Afriyie Barnieh (Hearts of Oak) and Augustine Okrah (Bechem United) made the match squad when Ghana hammered Madagascar 3-0 to kickstart their campaign in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers on Wednesday.
In his press conference ahead of the match, coach Otto Addo had given followers of the local league some hope of seeing their stars at least on the bench when he declared he gives equal chances to every player in his team selection and does not consider the leagues they play in.
After overlooking the two home-based attackers, the Black Stars head coach was faced with yet another question bothering on discrimination.
“For me, it is not about a local player or no local player,” Otto Addo reaffirmed his position and choices.
“I don’t care if you are from Tamale or Cape Coast. It doesn’t matter.
“What matters most is performance and quality. This is how I decide when I see a player at training, watch video clips or watch matches. This is what I look at.”
“The players who started the game against Madagascar deserved to,” he added.
Ghana will next battle out with Central African Republic away in Luanda on Sunday, June 4 in search of a second consecutive victory to boost possible early qualification for the Afcon 2023 finals in neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire.
The Black Stars team then heads to Japan for World Cup warm-ups.
Ghana are scheduled to face Japan in the 4-nation Kirin Cup Soccer tournament in Kobe on June 10 and Chile or Tunisia in the final or third-place play-off four days later in Osaka.
