Barring a major breakout of a flu or food virus in the Black Stars camp, Kumasi Asante Kotoko goalkeeper Frederick Asare won’t start for Ghana in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Mali in Bamoko on June 6 and Central African Republic (CAR) at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on June 10.
The best scenario for Asare to get any type of playing time would be one off the bench in nothing but a cameo role. Judging by Ghana’s slower than expected start to the qualifiers, there is little room for this sort of glamour cameo appearances.
Even in the face of another terrible campaign at the AFCON where the Black Stars failed to progress beyond the first round, Ghana was still expected to win games against Madagascar and Comoros and have a great start.
Beating Madagascar in a poor fashion was quickly followed with a shock 1-0 loss to Comoros that plants Ghana fourth in the six team Group I standings heading into the double header against Mali and CAR.
Beyond the exclusion of Black Stars captain Andre Dede Ayew from Otto Addo’s 26 man squad, the inclusion of Frederick Asare was one of the biggest surprises in the squad announcement.
Brandon Thomas-Asante getting a call up ahead of Bernard Tekpetey and Abdul-Aziz Yakubu isn’t surprising anymore considering the duo has been consistently overlooked for national assignments.
However, Asare’s call up over Dreams FC’s Solomon Agbasi and Medeama SC’s Felix Kyei was indeed a big shock quite simply looking at first, how the campaigns for their respective teams have gone thus far and secondly, the numbers the three stoppers have registered in the 2023-2024 season at the time of writing this piece.
In 17 league games for Kotoko, Asare has kept 10 clean sheets and conceded 10 goals while Kyei has featured in 23 league games, kept 11 clean sheets and conceded 16 goals with Agbasi starring in Dreams FC’s CAF Confederation Cup semifinal run with three clean sheets and making 27 saves.
Beyond the numbers, the general narratives centered on the campaigns of the players’ clubs vary sharply and don’t favour the argument for Asare’s call up.
Kotoko rank ninth in the 18 team league Ghana Premier League standings while Medeama rank third and despite ranking 14th, Dreams FC have two games in hand and just came off an outstanding debut run in the CAF CONFED Cup to the semifinals.
Dreams lost to Egypt’s Zamalek and the latter went on to win the competition highlighting how impressive the Ghanaian club’s feat was.
In the face of this dire situation for Asare’s chances of building on his international career portfolio, the former Accra Lions player still got the nod ahead of Kyei and Agbasi and this is down to the philosophy of Black Stars head coach, Otto Addo.
Like most modern day coaches, Otto Addo sets his team up to play out from the back with goalkeepers and central defenders who are comfortable with the ball at their feet to progress the passing phase up field. Asare is most adept in this area of the sport as he is often spotted starting attacks with Kotoko under Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum as captured in this clip.
The OGUM Ball ⚽️ 😍#AKSC #Fabucensus #Kotoko4All pic.twitter.com/Z2k9QnRnLZ
— Asante Kotoko SC – 2X CAF CL Winners🥇 (@AsanteKotoko_SC) May 30, 2024
In an interview with Kotoko media after his surprise pick by Otto Addo, Asare highlighted this factor by stating that,
“He’s a ball playing coach who always likes to play from the back with the goalkeeper so having him as your coach gives you that confidence. He’s an experienced coach, he has been in the Borussia Dortmund for a very long time.” These traits make Asare a perfect fit in Otto Addo’s system.
The latter part of Asare’s aforementioned statement also plays a key role in Addo’s choice-Borussia Dortmund. The famous German side is on the brink of winning its second UEFA Champions League title after making it to this season’s final game where they take on Real Madrid.
Asare played for Accra Lions under head coach Ibrahim Tanko who, like Otto Addo, is a former Dortmund player and has extensive coaching links to the Rhine side. Having worked well under Tanko and doing same under Dr. Ogum-an acolyte of the “Pep Guardiola style”, Asare is a goalkeeper who should be regarded as a “safe pick” for Addo’s system.
Frederick Asare’s relatively low count on appearances for the season is largely down to a fierce battle that has brewed at Asante Kotoko all season long. Cameroonian Moise Pouaty and Kotoko veteran keeper Danlad Ibrahim have had turns starting in goal for The Porcupine Warriors this season.
Ibrahim was part of Otto Addo’s Black Stars 2022 FIFA World Cup squad and is a big name on the Ghana Premier League scene.
Ousting him from the starting spot is a big deal the other realistic contenders for the Black Stars goalkeeper’s spot, Felix Kyei and Solomon Agbasi, didn’t have to deal with looking at the type of talent on the roster of Medeama and Dreams FC respectively. Beating Danlad Ibrahim to the starter’s spot gives Asare a leg up on Kyei and Agbasi.
While many pin Fredrick Asare’s selection solely on “he is a Kotoko player” basis, there is more to it than that. Being an archetypal fit in Otto Addo’s system is the main reason for Frederick Asare’s pick as the third choice goalkeeper for the Black Stars even if the Black Stars are likely to miss out on a win against Mali in Bamako.
