Ghana international Baba Rahman has shed light on his decision to initially decline a national team invitation for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Sudan.
At the time, the left-back was recovering from a lengthy injury spell with Chelsea but was still named in the Black Stars squad by then-head coach Charles Kwablan (CK) Akonnor—a move that drew widespread criticism due to concerns over his fitness.
In an interview with Joy Sports, Rahman revealed that he didn’t feel worthy of the call-up.
“I honestly didn’t feel I deserved the call-up at the time, so I initially rejected it,” he said.
“But the GFA and Coach CK Akonnor explained that they were short on left-backs and needed someone with my experience. That’s why I eventually accepted,” he added.
Despite the public backlash, Akonnor defended his decision, insisting that Rahman’s experience was crucial to the team’s balance.
Akonnor was later dismissed after a disappointing start to Ghana’s 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
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