Joseph Paintsil reveals shocking reason Otto Addo dropped him from Black Stars 2022 World Cup squad

Black Stars winger Joseph Paintsil has revealed the reasons behind his omission from Ghana’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup under former head coach Otto Addo.

Paintsil, who plays for LA Galaxy, made the disclosure in an interview with Vamos Network while reflecting on the controversial decision that surprised many football fans.

Addressing his absence from the squad, the 2024 Major League Soccer (MLS) champion said:

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“I was disappointed with the decision of the coach of the national team… there was no tangible, reasonable thing for me being excluded from the list.”

“There was no miscommunication, but I think they already planned it, and it was something about me; it wasn’t something about my performance… The only answer he – Otto Addo – gave is football is not about goals and assists.”

“He told me that there is no reason, but the only reason is I don’t defend myself. There was no tangible explanation, and I was left behind really disappointed.”

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Ghana suffered an early exit at the 2022 FIFA World Cup under Addo. Despite guiding the team through parts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the former Borussia Dortmund player was recently relieved of his role as head coach of the Black Stars.

He has since been replaced by Carlos Queiroz, following the latter’s appointment earlier this week. Ghana has been drawn in Group L alongside Panama, Croatia, and England.