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Former Black Stars midfielder Derek Boateng has criticised the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for their treatment of young Ghanaian player Felix Afena-Gyan.
Despite playing a significant role in helping the Black Stars qualify for the World Cup 2022, Afena-Gyan was not included in the final 26-man squad for the tournament in Qatar.
Boateng, who believes that Afena-Gyan was the best player for Ghana in the playoff against Nigeria, has urged the GFA to send a delegation to meet the player in Italy to address the issue.
Boateng told Asempa FM, “I really think Ghanaians haven’t been fair to that boy so right now that he has turned down an invitation, I support it.”
He added, “Football is about the brain, so if you don’t have a sound mindset you can never perform. In our two matches against Nigeria, he was our best player. He was the player that was fighting four Nigerian defenders because we were playing one top. He did everything possible, we qualified for the World Cup and they didn’t invite him and now they want him for under 23 and his management said he is not ready.”
Afena-Gyan, who currently plays for Cremonese in Italy, recently declined a call-up to feature for the Ghana U-23 team in their game against Algeria.
Some Ghanaian football fans have criticised the player for his decision, but Boateng believes that the GFA should take responsibility for the situation.