Ghana's U-23 captain Yaw Yeboah has explained the rationale behind Coach Ibrahim Tanko’s decision to field foreign-based players in Ghana’s game against Algeria on Friday at the Accra Sports Stadium which ended in a draw.
Questions were asked after the game after Ibrahim Tanko decided to field nine foreign-based players in his starting line-up despite camping local players for close to a month prior to the game.
According to Yaw Yeboah, the coach made the right decision because all the players that were fielded deserved to start the game.
“We deserved to play the game that is why the coach fielded us. We all came to train and is not up to us to select ourselves. It is the decision of the coach to select who starts or not”, he told the media at the post-match conference.
Assistant coach, Michael Osei also defended the decision to start the foreign-based players who had arrived just some few days to the game.
“In our game against Gabon, it was the foreign players who played and we won so I don’t see why they shouldn’t start”
The Black Meteors have a daunting task to qualify for the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations should they aim to qualify for the tournament.
The team left the country to Algeria on Sunday and is expected to train at the match venue later today. The game will be played on an artificial turf at the May 8 Stadium in Sétif.
Algeria U23 CoachLudovicBentil is hopeful his side will beat Ghana and qualify for the tournament.
“The game will be completely different and we are going to play on an artificial turf. We have prepared the team to win the second match and secure qualification to the tournament”.
The winner of this tie will book a place in Africa U23 Cup of Nations to be staged in Egypt.