Former Youth Coordinator of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Mr. Emmanuel Olla Williams, has advised FIFA, the world body controlling football, to discipline countries that fail to feature all registered players for the World Cup tournament.
He expressed that once a player has been called and named in the squad, he must feature, even if for ten minutes.
In an exclusive interview, the CEO of Dreamland Sports Plus and One On One Foundation said the dream of every footballer is to play at the World Cup, and if one gets the opportunity and does not feature, it is very painful and could affect the psychology of players.
He gave examples of top players like Kobby Mainoo, who was selected but was not allowed to play, and Cole Palmer, a top star who was left out and did not appear at the World Cup.
He noted that even the Ghana Black Stars failed to feature players like Abdul Mumin and others.
He questioned why coaches should take players to a tournament and not allow them to express their talent and skill.
Mr. Olla Williams, who plays football in his leisure time, thinks more needs to be done in organizing a better tournament; however, he was impressed with the World Cup 2026, which was deservedly won by Spain.
He said the Black Stars of Ghana were too defensive-minded and questioned how they could win by not taking the ball forward or not parading creative ballers.
“The Black Stars did not perform to our expectations, and I think the team should be revamped; some players don’t deserve to be there,” he added.
By Sammy Heywood Okine
