With only eight days to the start of the World Cup tournament in Qatar, Ghana has been dealt a devastating setback with the news that Jojo Wollacott would not be participating in the 2022 World Cup owing to a broken finger.
On Saturday night, the goalie suffered an injury while getting ready for Charlton Athletic's League One match against Burton Albion.
"He caught the end of his finger in the warm-up. He’ll get scanned as soon as we get back down to London. We’re hoping and praying that it is nothing because he’s due to fly out to the World Cup tomorrow," Charlton Athletic manager Ben Garner told the club’s media channel after the game.
Several sources state that scans indicated it to be a significant injury, therefore excluding Wollacott from the competition just one day before the team announcement, in which he was expected to be named one of the final 26.
Wollacott has been the Black Stars' first-choice goalkeeper ever since making his debut on September 21. He served as the Black Stars' goalkeeper during their catastrophic 2021 Africa Cup of Nations campaign earlier this year.
He received criticism for several of the goals he conceded in Cameroon, but in March, he earned praise for a valiant effort that helped Ghana beat Nigeria to qualify for the World Cup.
Wollacott, a Bristol native, pledged his allegiance to Ghana last year and has already made 11 appearances. He has four clean sheets and 11 goals conceded.
On Monday, the Black Stars' training camp in Abu Dhabi will get underway. Before departing for the World Cup in Qatar on November 18, they will play Switzerland in their final pre-tournament friendly.
Ghana's World Cup campaign gets underway against Portugal on November 24 at Stadium 974 in Doha.