Chris Houghton on Thursday afternoon released a list of 25-man players to represent Ghana in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Madagascar and Comoros on the 17th and 21st of November.
The squad has called for many Ghanaians to wonder why Edmund Addo and Andre Ayew are still part of the team.
SportsworldGhana.com gives a detailed account of why Edmund Addo doesn’t deserve a call-up.
National team slots ought to be deserved by playing regularly for your club.
Edmund Addo, the 23-year-old Chorkor born caught the eyes of Ghanaians after stellar performances for Sherif Tiraspol of Moldova in the 2021/2022 UCL season after moving from Senica that season.
In his first season, he played 34 matches including six in the UEFA Champions League. In a group with Real Madrid and Inter, Sheriff Tiraspol punched above their weight to the extent that they won at the Santago Bernabeu with Edmund proving his talent and worth.
He won the Moldovan League and the Moldovan Cup in his first season with Sheriff Tiraspol.
In 2023, he joined Serbia’s side Spartak Subotica and made 16 appearances for them.
In came calling this summer, Red Star Belgrade. Edmund Addo joined the Serbian giants in June with 400,000 Euros being paid to Spartak Subotica.
In the 21 games played by Crvena Zvezda this season including pre-season, Addo played just 14 minutes in a pre-season game against Fernabahce. In the 17 competitive games, Edmund Addo has not enjoyed a single minute while struggling to even make the matchday squad.
On 26th August, he made the matchday squad when Crvena Zvezda lost 3-2 to Vozdovac in Week 5 of the Serbian Super League.
Only Chris Houghton can explain the reason for the continuous call-up of Edmund Addo to the Black Stars. A player who barely gets the opportunity to even sit on the bench is chosen over a plethora of midfielders who are playing actively and will add a lot to the Black Stars.
Edmund Addo has played 180 minutes in Ghana’s last three games having started two- against Liberia and USA.
The call-up made by Chris Houghton yesterday means 95% of the squad at least will make it to the 2023 AFCON because this is the last international break before the much-anticipated AFCON in January 2024.
The unfairness around Ghana’s call-up is something that the football authorities must address because it’s very difficult to comprehend why Edmund Addo keeps on getting the chance at the expense of so many central midfielders who are seeing much action every day.