Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah has given David Accam of Helsingborg (Sweden) and Jeffery Schlupp (England) callups into the Black Stars team for the pre-tournament camping ahead of Brazil 2014.
Afriyie Acquah of Parma was also included in the team named by the 53-year old at the Ghana FA Secretariat on Monday afternoon.
Accam, a graduate of the Right to Dream Acadmy, has been sterling for his club in Sweden, but was seen as an outsider to make the team.
Schlupp, who has been converted from a striker to a left-back in the last year at Leicester, has helped the club get promotion into the next season of the Barclays Premier League.
The other surprise may be the exclusion of Isaac Vorsah, who will look back at a season of injury as the reason for his inability to make the team.
The team will be cut to 23 by the June 2 deadline Fifa have set for all 32 countries participating in the tournament from June 12.
Initial reaction was largely positive as Appiah’s bravery in dropping experienced players like John Mensah and Isaac Vorsah, as well as the promising Richmond-Boakye Yiadom of Elche in Spain
Background
For the past three weeks, the Ghana coach has been fine-tuning the team as he has travelled around the world to meet key players.
Appiah’s insistence in the past week that previously-published lists peddled by local media in the past week were fake turned out to be largely true with the inclusion of Schlupp, Accam and Afriyie Acquah.
Ghana 26-man squad for Brazil
Goalies: Adam Kwarasey, Fatau Dauda, Stephen Adams
Defenders: Samuel Inkoom, Daniel Opare, Harrison Afful, Jeffery Schlupp, Jonathan Mensah, Rashid Sumaila, Jerry Akaminko, John Boye
Midfielders: Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Rabiu Mohammed, Kwadwo Asamoah, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Afryie Acquah, Albert Adomah, Christian Atsu, Andre Ayew, Mubarak Wakaso, David Accam
Forwards: Kevin-Prince Boateng, Asamoah Gyan, Abdul Majeed Waris, Jordan Ayew
By: Gary Al-Smith/Citifmonline.com/Ghana