Ghana midfielder Majeed Ashimeru has expressed his disappointment following his omission from the final Black Stars squad for the 2022 Word Cup which was held in Qatar last year.
The 25-year-old was touted as one of the Ghanaian talents to take the world by storm if given the opportunity at the World Cup but unfortunately could not make the final 26-man squad despite being named in an initial 55-man provisional squad by then-coach Otto Addo.
According to 3Sports, Otto Addo explained that the Anderlecht midfielder was below the likes of Thomas Partey, Salis Abdul Samed, and Elisha Owusu which is why he had to be left behind.
🇬🇭 Majeed Ashimeru was told earlier today he’ll not be part of Ghana’s final squad for the World Cup. Otto Addo explained to the midfielder that he currently sees other players ahead of him @3SportsGh pic.twitter.com/f0WDdE9C3c
— Owuraku Ampofo (@_owurakuampofo) November 8, 2022
His omission was however a big deal to Ghanaian football fans who were also displeased with the absence of other players like Joseph Paintsil and Jeffrey Schlupp.
Africa’s leading scorer at the World Cup Asamoah Gyan is furious after Majeed Ashimeru was left out of the Black Stars squad to face Nigeria.
Gyan labels Ashimeru as the best Ghanaian midfielder after Thomas Partey.
‘This nonsense must stop’ pic.twitter.com/sQJKSTXch9
— Thierry Nyann 🇬🇭 (@nyannthierry) March 22, 2022
Ashimeru in an interview with 3Sports, shared similar sentiments as the fans of the game who questioned Otto Addo’s decision.
According to him, he felt bad but was relieved by the opportunity given to his close pals like Kudus and Salis Samed.
“That [The World Cup] is the biggest competition in the world and every player wants to [play in],” he said.
“I think I personally felt bad [for missing out on the final squad] but also I felt like these are my guys going and they need my support. For me, seeing Salis doing well in the World Cup makes me feel very happy because he is someone that I always talk with and walk with. Just like Kamal Sowah and Kudus. Kudus is like a big brother because we grew up in the same hood and me seeing them makes me happy,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ashimeru has received call-ups for subsequent assignments in which he made a mark by shining despite climbing from the bench in Ghana’s African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Angola and Madagascar.
“I felt bad but I was happy to see my guys like Kudus play”
Majeed Ashimeru opens up about missing the 2022 World Cup.
Full interview with @_owurakuampofo
airs on @tv3_ghana at 11AM today.#3Sports pic.twitter.com/LMNPgW4PVa— #3Sports (@3SportsGh) July 15, 2023
