Jojo Wollacott to Miss World cup due to Finger injury

Jojo Wollacott has been ruled out of the 2022 World Cup due to a fractured finger, dealing a huge blow to Ghana just eight days before the competition begins in Qatar.

The goalkeeper got injured on Saturday night while warming up for his side Charlton Athletic’s League One clash 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.

According to multiple reports, scans revealed it was a serious injury, effectively ruling Jojo Wollacott out of the tournament just a day before the squad announcement, in which he was expected to be named among the final 26.

Since his debut on September 21, Wollacott has been the Black Stars’ first-choice goalkeeper. He was in goal for the Black Stars earlier this year during their disastrous 2021 Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

He was criticised for some of the goals he conceded in Cameroon, but he redeemed himself with a brave performance in March as Ghana qualified for the World Cup at the expense of Nigeria.

Wollacott, who was born in Bristol, committed to Ghana last year and has made 11 appearances. He has conceded 11 goals and kept four clean sheets.

The Black Stars will begin their training camp in Abu Dhabi on Monday. They will play Switzerland in their final pre-tournament friendly on Thursday, November 17 before travelling to Qatar for the World Cup.

Ghana begin their World Cup campaign on November 24 against former European champions Portugal at Doha’s Stadium 974.