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GHANA coach Kwesi Appiah has named 26 players that include Michael Essien, Kelvin Prince-Boateng and Andre Ayew to face Zambia in next Friday’s crucial 2014 World Cup qualifier at Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.
Essien, who had pleaded to be excluded from the country’s squad to fight for his position at his English Premiership side Chelsea, is a surprise inclusion.
Prince-Boateng and Ayew have ended their self-exposed exile from the Black Stars.
Ghanasoccernet reports that vocal midfielder Derek Boateng, who plays for English Premiership side Fulham, has been left out of the team alongside returnees Jordan Ayew and Sulley Muntari.
The Football Association of Zambia has written to FIFA asking the world soccer governing body to sanction Boateng for his alleged provocative tone ahead of the match.
Boateng is alleged to have told Happy FM in Ghana that the Black Stars were mistreated on their trip to Zambia last year and the same should be meted out on the Chipolopolo in Kumasi.
The Black Stars squad includes top performers Kwadwo Asamoah of Juventus, skipper Asamoah Gyan and in-form Belgium-based youngster Frank Acheampong.
Kelvin Prince Boateng was born and raised in Germany but opted to play for
Ghana and switched his international allegiance in time for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa after persistent snubs by Germany.
He went on to play a major part in Ghana’s run to the quarter-finals at the soccer showpiece.
The AC Milan midfielder later quit the Black Stars saying he wanted to concentrate on his club.
The squad:
Goalkeepers: Fatau Dauda (Orlando Pirates, South Africa), Adam
Kwarasey (Stromsgodset, Norway), Razak Braimah (CD Guadalajara, Spain)
Defenders: Daniel Opare (Standard Liege, Belgium), Samuel Inkoom
(Dnipro, Ukraine), Harrison Afful (Esperance, Tunisia), Baba Rahman
(Greuther Furth, Germany), Jonathan Mensah (Evian TG, France), John Boye (Rennes, France), Lee Addy (Dinamo Zagreb,Croatia), Rashid
Sumaila (Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa), Awal Mohammed (Maritzburg United, South Africa)
Midfielders: Christian Atsu (Porto, Portugal), Michael Essien (Chelsea,
England), Solomon Asante (TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Rabiu Mohammed (Kuban Krasnodar, Russia), Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus, Italy), Mubarak Wakaso (Espanyol, Spain), Yussif Rahman Chibsah (Sassuolo, Italy), Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese, Italy), Andre Ayew (Marseille, France), Kevin Prince Boateng (AC Milan, Italy)
Strikers: Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain, UAE), Mahatma Otoo (Sogndal, Norway), Abdul Majeed Waris (Spartak Moscow), Dominic Adiyiah (Arsenal Kyiv, Ukraine) and Albert Adomah (Middlesbrough, England)
