ADAM KWARASEY REVEALS NATIONAL TEAM PLANS

The Portland Timbers No. 1 has shed light on his
absence from the national side and the World Cup
coaching controversy.
Adam Kwarasey has explained his dissatisfaction
with the Ghana coaching set-up at the 2014 World
Cup ahead of a possible return to the national side.
The Portland Timbers stopper met with Black Stars
coach Avram Grant this weekend, fuelling
suggestions that he is on the brink of a Ghana
comeback.
However, while many would welcome the former
Stromgodset keeper back to the fold with open
arms, there remain some unresolved issues
concerning his stormy summer in Brazil.
The Norwegian-born international felt that he was
poorly treated and badly coached during the World
Cup, when he was dropped after the first game—a
2-1 defeat to the United States.
“I was disappointed and everybody else was
disappointed [after the World Cup],” Kwarasey
began, speaking to All Sports Ghana.
“We all wanted to do better and we failed and a
lot of issues came up that we are not proud of. I
don’t want to say anything bad about anybody but
I always say [coaches] must always try and get the
best out of their players and in my situation I did
not feel that the people in charge at the time
were capable of helping me to reach my full
potential.
“When I got to camp before the World Cup I felt
really good and I was in great form but by the
time our tournament ended, I was not in that same
form so somewhere along the line something must
have happened."
The goalkeeper was dropped after the opening
defeat—replaced by Fatau Dauda—and didn’t
feature again.
Indeed, he hasn’t returned to the national side
since, missing the entirety of the 2015 Africa Cup
of Nations qualification campaign, as well as the
tournament itself.
In his absence, Razak Brimah has claimed the No. 1
jersey, although Kwarasey’s recent meeting with
Avram Grant has led many to believe that the
talented stopper will be re-invited back to the fold
for the upcoming Afcon 2017 qualifiers.
“I have heard people say that he [Grant] came to
convince me and I said I wanted the number one
position before returning,” Kwarasey continued.
“I have never ever demanded the number one
position and that is not how I am.”
The goalkeeper closed by leaving the door open to
an international comeback: “I will always love to
play for the national team, but if it’s a situation
where you do not enjoy it and lose your form then I
have to think twice."