World Cup splits another Ghanaian family

In the 2010 World Cup Kevin-Prince Boateng represented Ghana, while younger brother Jérôme opted for Germany, his birth country. This year, Athletic Bilbao forwards Inaki and Nico Williams are faced with a similar predicament.

Both born in Spain, older Williams, Inaki, will walk out in Ghana colours when they face Portugal in their first match of Qatar 2022 on Thursday, a day after Nico assisted Alvaro Morata in Spain’s 7-0 drubbing of Costa Rica.

Black Stars Head Coach Otto Addo admits the young Spaniard would have been a great asset to his team.

“We have a good squad but it would have been nice maybe to have him on the squad, but I fully respect him and I accept this. What else can we do; we wish him all the best with Spain.

“We talked to him and Inaki but Nico decided on Spain. It’s a difficult decision especially if you have been living in Spain for all your life and I can understand that it is not easy,” he said.

Inaki made his debut for his parent’s nation in September, a transition his coach believes has not been difficult.

“Good runs, good positions between the lines, good connection with the players, very intelligent, good work ethic against the ball, very nice character. So, he integrated very well, he’s very good from what I see and what I heard from him”, he explained.

All five of the African teams competing in Qatar are led by African coaches, a factor Addo believes makes relating to players easier.

“It’s a big step for African football. The players feel more connected to you if you speak the same language and also have played for the team. In the previous years, Africa didn’t have a lot of coaches,” he concludes.