Nobody should beg anyone to come and play Mali, CAR games – Atta Poku tells Otto Addo, GFA

Ace sports journalist Collins Atta Poku has argued that Black Stars players should not require any extra motivation to show up for their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Mali and the Central African Republic.

Atta Poku believes that the significance of these two matches should be sufficient to inspire the players to perform at their best for Ghanaians.

He emphasized that the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, holds great importance for Ghanaians, and the Black Stars players should be driven enough to secure victories in both matches.

In response to reports suggesting Thomas Partey might be excluded from the games, Atta Poku strongly argued that the Arsenal midfielder should not need to be persuaded to play for the Black Stars.

While questioning the credibility of these reports, Atta Poku stated that Partey would likely want to emulate the career paths of Stephen Appiah, Michael Essien, and Sulley Muntari, who all concluded their national team careers with World Cup participation.

He explained that Ghana needs wins against Mali and the Central African Republic to be in a strong position for qualification, and that all in-form players, including Thomas Partey, should be included in the squad.

“Nobody needs to speak to Teye Partey to play that game in Bamako. If you are a player worth your salt, these are some of the matches you use to prove your mettle.

He is one of the leaders in the team, so why should we beg him to come and play this game?

“The World Cup is at stake, and I’m sure he would love to play in his last World Cup. Stephen Appiah did it in 2010, and Essien and Muntari did it in 2014. They exited the national team after the World Cup.

What has this crop of players achieved? Nobody should beg anyone to come and play this game.

“In 2009, it was then-youngster Kwadwo Asamoah who won us the game against Mali in the World Cup qualifiers. His teammates, Jorginho and Declan Rice, will be playing in the European Championship.

Partey’s equivalent of that is the World Cup qualifiers, so he should come and play. I don’t think he will turn down call-ups,” he said.

Meanwhile, coach Otto Addo is set to announce the squad for the two upcoming matches next week.

The Black Stars are scheduled to play against Mali in Bamako on June 6, followed by a game against the Central African Republic at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on June 10.