Former Ghana international, Habib Mohammed says players who played in the qualifiers are not guaranteed a place in the final World Cup squad.
Black Stars coach, Otto Addo will announce his squad for the 2022 World Cup on November 14, having submitted the provisional squad to Fifa.
However, there is a high expectation for players who competed in the qualifiers to be named to the final list for the upcoming tournament in Qatar, but Mohammed thinks otherwise.
Using himself as an example, Habib revealed that he missed the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, but was selected because then-coach Ratomir Dujkovi was impressed with his performances in two pre-tournament friendlies.
“I didn’t play in the World Cup qualifiers [in 2006], but before the tournament, I played two friendlies and impressed coach Ratomir Dujkovic, who included me in the squad,” he told Onua Sports.
“It’s not compulsory that because you participated in qualifiers you have to go to the World Cup. The final decision is made by the coach. Whether or not a player competed in qualifiers, the coach decides who goes to the World Cup,” the former Asante Kotoko and King Faisal defender added.
Habib appeared in two games for Ghana at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, helping the country reach the knockout stages for the first time.
The Black Stars hope to advance to the knockout stages for the third time this year in Qatar, where they have been drawn into a difficult group with Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay.
Source: Footballghana