After a series of excuses and denials, Kevin-Prince Boateng appears set for his proper return to the Black Stars, the stage set in the unstable surroundings of Cairo where Egypt’s Pharaohs host the second leg of their World Cup qualifying play-off.
It may well be the last chance for the Schalke 04 midfielder who has missed two games for Ghana – both in Kumasi – since he announced a return to the team after two years of self-imposed exile, but the circumstances of next Tuesday’s game lie beyond just his personality.
In the Turkish capital of Istanbul where he has joined the Ghanaian squad for preparations towards next Tuesday’s match at Cairo’s Air Defence Stadium, Boateng’s presence has imposed a new challenge on Coach Kwasi Appiah’s technical group -- a selection headache in midfield.
Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Wakaso Mubarak, Christian Atsu and Kwadwo Asamoah already outnumber the midfield slots in Coach Appiah’s 4-4-2 system, and with the Germany-based player joining the fray, the matter of who will start ahead of others remains a major question.
Until this new development regarding personnel to deploy, Ghana had spent the greater time engaging every possible avenue to get Tuesday’s match switched from Cairo due to security concerns, particularly the safety of the Ghanaian contingent when they eventually travel to strife-torn Egyptian capital.
With FIFA adamant about the match coming off in Cairo, the world is braced for either the biggest comeback ever or a routine march for the Stars to their third straight World Cup.
Despite Ghana’s 6-1 advantage from the first leg in Kumasi, attention and scheming around the upcoming tie hardly portrays the near impossible task confronting the Pharaohs.
Torn apart in the Kumasi leg, Egyptians mourned on all fronts, their coach American Bob Bradley becoming a target of potential violence, while veteran performer Mohamed Aboutrieka announced an imminent retirement from international duty after the play-offs in the immediate aftermath of their collapse.
The gloom appears to have been lifted by Al-Ahly’s eighth time triumph over Africa after they beat Orlando Pirates of South Africa to win the 2013 CAF Champions League.
The fans – the reason for Ghana’s request for venue change – and Al-Ahly’s success may provide the Pharaohs a sense of confidence of overturning the near impossible, even if they could only beat Zambia 2-0 in a friendly yesterday.
