Former Ghana international Emmanuel Armah, nicknamed Armah Senegal, does not agree with calls for Asamoah Gyan to be added to Ghana’s squad for the 2022 World Cup.
The former Hearts of Oak defender believes call-ups should be strictly based on performance and nothing less.
He described calls for Gyan to be invited as “jokes”, highlighting that the veteran striker is currently without a club.
“Which team Asamoah Gyan is playing now? Give me the answer. Then I can also come and play. Let’s put the jokes aside and gather the players for them to be serious. God will bless you when you are serious. If you are not serious God will not bless you,” Armah Senegal said, as quoted by Ghanaweb.
“We have to stop making noise and stop the politics in football. Football is not politics. It is a game of passion. We should not envy the players who are performing but we should rather invite those who are performing in their various leagues. In the final squad, some will make it and others will be dropped.”
He added: “I don’t follow certain things. Those who are talking about it I want to tell them that football is based on your performance. We will use your performance to call you before you play the national team.
“The players that they’ve mentioned their names to rejoin the Black Stars how many league matches have they played? Which team are they playing now?
“They are just joking. To be able to play football your performance must be good. You have to perform at the club level. That will create the chance for you to be called. They are just joking and gossiping. That’s what I can say.”
In August, Gyan was in the news after his interview with the BBC, where he compared his possible return to that of Roger Milla, who came out of retirement to play for Cameroon in the 1994 World Cup.
The 36-year-old was a regular fixture in the Black Stars for almost two decades, having made his international debut in 2003.
However, he has not featured for the national team since playing at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.
In the last three years, Gyan has battled with niggling injuries while his time with Ghana Premier League outfit Legon Cities also didn’t go according to plan.
Despite his inactivity, though, he insists he hasn’t retired and has opened his doors to a return to the Black Stars ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.
Pulse
