Joseph Paintsil: How Otto Addo Robbed Genk Star off World Cup Dream

• Joseph Paintsil has revealed why he was dropped from the Ghana team for the World Cup
• The KRC Genk star was omitted from the squad despite his rich run of form in Belgium
• The Black Stars failed to go beyond the group stage at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

KRC Genk winger Joseph Paintsil has blamed former Ghana coach Otto Addo for taking away his World Cup dreams from him.

Paintsil has been in red-hot form for the Belgium league leaders, but the immediate-past Black Stars coach dropped him from the tournament in Qatar.

The 25-year-old was Ghana's best forward in Europe before the final team announcement, having scored six goals and provided six assists in 14 matches.

“His [Otto Addo’s] decision was unfair. He gave me no valid reason to explain my absence. I told him the same thing during a phone conversation,” Paintsil told Belang van Limburg as quoted by Sports World Ghana.

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“He told me that there were players ahead of me in the hierarchy. Among them, there were guys who, like me, play in the Jupiler Pro League,” he added.

“They didn’t have couldn’t present the same stats, but Addo said football isn’t all about goals and assists.”

The 25-year-old continued from where he left off following the return of competitive football after the World Cup break, scoring the winner as Genk beat Anderlecht in the Belgium Cup.

Joseph Paintsil scores winner

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Ghana winger Joseph Paintsil paid tribute to his late father 48 hours after burying him in Accra with a match winner for KRC Genk in their game against Anderlecht.

Paintsil was in Ghana over the weekend to pay his final respects to his father, who died on November 18.

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After his father's funeral, the 25-year-old immediately left for Belgium to join his teammates for the Cup game against Anderlecht.

Paintsil dropped from World Cup squad

Otto Addo has announced his final 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

At a press conference in Accra, the 47-year-old named his team with several of the notable names making his squad.

Conspicuously missing are Joseph Paintsil of KRC Genk, Majeed Ashimeru of Anderlecht and Felix Afena-Gyan.