Former Ghana captain Stephen Appiah says he was fortunate to be part of the squad that went to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Appiah had been struggling with injuries before the tournament but made the squad, making three appearances as the Black Stars reached the quarter-finals.
“In 2010, I was lucky to be part of the team. If Agyemang-Badu was okay, maybe I wouldn’t have been part of the 2010 World Cup, which would have been difficult,” Appiah said to 3Sports.
Appiah’s comments highlighted his thoughts on the recent Black Stars call-up, which saw the exclusion of captain Andre Ayew.
The former Fenerbahce star isn’t entirely happy with Ayew’s exclusion, believing he could have been part of the squad even if he wouldn’t play a big role in the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
He believes his presence had a positive effect on the team in South Africa despite not playing much, and that could have been the same for Ayew.
“You can have senior players in the team and if you let them understand that this time there are certain good players in the team but be around, you may get either 20 or 10 minutes which depends on how you train,” he explained.
Appiah noted that the presence of senior players often helps maintain discipline and focus within the team.
“When some of the players see senior players in camp, they won’t even think of misbehaving. So, we have to know how to handle senior players in the national team.”
Ghana will play Mali on June 6 and, four days later, take on the Central African Republic in Kumasi.
Having started the qualifiers with three points from two games, the upcoming matches are crucial to their hopes of making it to the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Credit: ghanasoccernet.com
