Ghana eliminate Nigeria to qualify for the 2022 World Cup
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Former Black Stars midfielder, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu, has advised Ghanaian players born abroad to switch nationality to Ghana based on will.
According to Agyeman-Badu, the most important factor is a desire to play for Ghana before making the switch.
Speaking to GhanaWeb at the 2022 Ghana Football Award, the former Udinese man said the player's feeling of need is also another factor to consider before pledging allegiance.
"Great footballers and they are Ghanaians, so if the word is 'willing'. The second one is that if the coach needs them, why not? We need to beef up our team as well because we are going to one of the highest stages in world football, which is the World Cup," he said.
He continued that augmenting the Black Stars squad with players born abroad would help Ghana at the tournament.
"This World Cup will be the most difficult (as compared o previous years). Why am I saying this? We have five substitutes, and if your bench is not rich, it will be a disaster for you. So we need all the quality players on board, but the word is if they are 'willing'," he added.
Despite backing their inclusion, Agyemang-Badu said the aim is to build a formidable Black Stars side for all tournaments and not just the World Cup.
"We need to build a formidable squad that every country will be afraid of; not only for the world cup but 2023 AFCON qualifiers, which are crucial for us. So we are building a team not only World Cup."
The Ghana Football Association is rumoured to have approached Ghanaian players who were performing well abroad to persuade them to join the Black Stars for the forthcoming tournament in order to secure Ghana's qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Chelsea's Hudson Odoi, Arsenal's Eddie Nketia, Brighton and Hove Albion's Tareq Lamptey, and Athletic Bilbao duo Inaki Williams and Nico Williams are among the names the GFA is looking to add to the Black Stars.
Ghana qualified for its fourth World Cup by defeating West African rival Nigeria in a playoff.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be held in Qatar and would begin on November 21 and end on December 18, 2022.
EE/BOG
former Black Stars midfielder, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu