Ghana FA to petition FIFA over release of foreign-based players for 2022 World Cup qualifiers

Published on: 09 September 2021

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has decided to write to FIFA over the release of players for the World Cup qualifiers to travel to red listed countries which will seriously hamper the chances of the country presenting its top players for matches, Ghanasoccernet.com can exclusively reveal.

The GFA will write to the world governing body this week to demand changes to its emergency laws that gave clubs in Europe the right to refuse their players' permission to play for their countries amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The GFA will also be requesting that in case FIFA are unable to lean on the clubs to release their players to play in countries deemed Coivd-19 red list zone, games must be moved to a neutral venues to ensure fairness to all countries.

Last Monday, the senior national team travelled to South Africa without seven of their key players, and lost to South Africa in Johannesburg and the absence of the top players is blamed for the defeat.

Ghana's next two away matches are also in COVID-19 red list countries, which means the Black Stars will be without their England-based players as well as some playing in Germany and France.

With the Black Stars scheduled to travel to those African countries with the highest risk of Covid infections, their European clubs will not release their Ghanaian players to join the Black Stars because of the stringent restrictions they would face on their return.

If they have travel to Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, the about nine Ghanaian players would be subject to quarantine upon their return to the United Kingdom and some others countries.

The exclusion of several such top players was a key factor in Ghana's 1-0 qualifying loss to South Africa on Monday and the situation could be repeated next month and in October if the governments of the European countries don't revise their rules or red list countries.

The Black Stars arrived at FNB Stadium in South Africa for the Group A qualifier without seven European-based players, who were withheld by their clubs.

They included Jeffrey Schlupp, Jordan Ayew from Crystal Palace, Andrew Yiadom, Baba Abdul Rahman and Baba Yiadom of Reading, and Daniel Amartey of Leicester City.

Kamaldeen Sulemana, Rennes' forward, and Daniel Kyereh, German side St Pauli, also failed to travel with the Ghana national team for the same reason.

Now with the Black Stars scheduled to face Zimbabwe on 9 October in Harare and Ethiopia on  10th November, all the top stars that missed the defeat in South Africa are unlikely to be released by their clubs.

The same situation will also apply to the recovering duo of Thomas Partey and Mohammed Kudus as they will also be prevented by their European clubs from playing for the Black Stars in those matches.

This means the Black Stars have to travel to those two away games with their second string side that bombed in South Africa where they were completely dominated and defeated by a young and inexperienced Bafana Bafana side.

Defeats in those two away matches will all but end Ghana's hopes of qualifying for the global tournament as the Black Stars are already seen to be on the backfoot in the qualifiers after just two matches in Group G.

Ghana will continue their search for a place at the 2022 World Cup by playing home and away matches against Zimbabwe next month.

Only the A-J winners in each group will be able to progress to the final round for Qatar 2022 qualification.

The five remaining African nations will face off in a draw to determine the winners.

The next World Cup, which will be held in the Middle East for the first time, is scheduled to take place between 21 November and 18 December.

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