Djiku Ruled Out of World Cup as Lucasson Earns Ghana Call-Up

Ghana’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup have suffered a significant blow after head coach Carlos Queiroz confirmed that vice-captain Alexander Djiku will miss the tournament through injury.

The experienced centre-back, who plays his club football for Spartak Moscow in Russia, arrived at the Black Stars training camp already carrying an injury and has been unable to participate in full training sessions with the squad.

Speaking ahead of Ghana’s pre-World Cup friendly fixture against Wales, Queiroz revealed that the coaching and medical staff had reached a decision to replace the 31-year-old defender in the final squad.

“We had to make a decision to replace Djiku. It doesn’t matter the player I called, but Djiku has been replaced and you have seen the new player,” Queiroz said, confirming the switch with characteristic directness.

In Djiku’s place, Derrick Lucasson has joined the Black Stars camp. The Pafos FC defender, who plies his trade in Cyprus, will now be part of Ghana’s squad for the tournament as the team finalises its preparations for football’s biggest stage. For Lucasson, the call-up represents a sudden and unexpected opportunity — a chance to prove himself on the global stage that few would have predicted at the start of the qualifying campaign.

Djiku’s absence, however, leaves a considerable gap in Ghana’s defensive structure. The former Strasbourg man has been one of the most consistent performers in the Black Stars setup over recent years, serving not only as a reliable presence at the heart of the back line but also as one of the senior leaders within the squad. His ability to read the game, organise the defence, and distribute the ball from the back made him an indispensable figure under successive coaches.

The timing of the injury is particularly cruel. Djiku had been a central figure in Ghana’s qualifying campaign and had been expected to play a pivotal role in marshalling the defence at the World Cup. His absence means Queiroz must now reshuffle his defensive options and find a new partnership at centre-back that can withstand the demands of tournament football.

It is not the first time injury has disrupted Ghana’s World Cup plans. The Black Stars have a history of navigating squad disruptions on the eve of major tournaments, and the coaching staff will be hoping that Lucasson can step up and fill the void left by one of the team’s most important players. Ghana’s World Cup campaign will test the depth and resilience of a squad that must now adapt quickly to the loss of its vice-captain.

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