Karhan out of Slovakia World Cup squad

Injury-hit Slovak midfielder Miroslav Karhan has been left out of his country’s official 23-man squad for their first ever World Cup, coach Vladimir Weiss said Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, Karhan couldn’t make it onto the list because of an Achilles tendon injury, even though he was the one who deserved to go to the World Cup most,” Weiss told journalists.

Karhan has been capped 96 times for Slovakia, scoring 13 goals.

Currently with German Bundesliga side Mainz 05, he played previously for Germany’s Wolfsburg and Besiktas of Turkey.

Weiss said the participation of Besiktas striker Filip Holosko and fellow Turkish club Ankaragucu’s Robert Vittek — the top scorer in the Slovak team — is in doubt due to their injuries.

Weiss, whose squad list is dominated by foreign-based players, also named largely untested midfielder Juraj Kucka of Czech club Sparta Prague.

“Kucka’s performance earned him the call up even though he hasn’t played in any qualifiers so far,” he said.

Kucka’s first turnout for Slovakia was last Saturday in a friendly against Cameroon in Austria, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Slovakia joined the international football family after the 1993 breakup of Czechoslovakia, and have secured their first-ever World Cup berth in the looming finals in South Africa.

They have been drawn in Group F with world champions Italy, plus New Zealand and Paraguay.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Jan Mucha (Legia Warsaw/POL), Dusan Kuciak (Vaslui/ROM), Dusan Pernis (Dundee United/SCO)

Defenders: Peter Pekarik (Wolfsburg/GER), Martin Petras (Cesena/ITA), Martin Skrtel (Liverpool/ENG), Jan Durica (Lokomotiv Moscow/RUS), Radoslav Zabavnik (Mainz/GER), Marek Cech (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Zdeno Strba (Xanthi/GRE)

Midfielders: Kornel Salata (Slovan Bratislava), Kamil Kopunek (Spartak Trnava), Jan Kozak (Timisoara/ROM), Juraj Kucka (Sparta Prague/CZE), Marek Sapara (Ankaragucu/TUR), Marek Hamsik (Napoli/ITA), Vladimir Weiss jr (Manchester City/ENG), Erich Jendrisek (Schalke 04/GER), Miroslav Stoch (Chelsea/ENG)

Strikers: Stanislav Sestak (Bochum/GER), Robert Vittek (Ankaragucu/TUR), Martin Jakubko (Ramenskoye/RUS), Filip Holosko (Besiktas/TUR)