Eight players have cited various reasons to abstain from Ghana’s pending Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers matches against Angola and Niger.
As stated by the Kurt Okraku-led Ghana Football Association (GFA), see below the players and their respective reasons for withdrawal:
Inaki Williams: Hamstring injury picked up on November 7 and has since not been able to train.
Tariq Lamptey: Calf discomfort that got aggravated last week and currently undergoing rehabilitation with his club.
Jonas Adjetey: Jonas was on his way to full recovery but had a setback in their last League game on Saturday, November 9, 2024.
Jerome Opoku: Chronic back pain which got worse during a Super Lig game against Besiktas on Sunday, November 10. Jerome is currently undergoing rehabilitation with his club .
Antoine Semenyo: Nursing an injury of the patella tendon due to overload of games. The Club medical team thought it wise to use the break to refer him to a tendon specialist to prevent worsening of the injury.
Alexander Djiku: It’s an aggravation of an existing hamstring that got him substituted in their last game on Sunday, November 10, 2024.
Ibrahim Osman: He picked up a hamstring injury in his last outing for his club which got him substituted at half time.
Joseph Painstil: Personal.
To keeps things steady in the Black Stars camp, the GFA has called up six new players to replace the above. They are: Osman Bukari (Austin FC), Ransford Yeboah Koningsdorffer (Hamburger SV), Forson Amankwah (Norwich City), Terry Yegbe (IF Elfsborg), Ebenezer Annan (OFK Beograd) and Kingsley Schindler (Samsunspor).
On X, Thursday, November 7, 2024, Coach Otto Addo’s 25-man squad was announced minus Thomas Partey. It was indicated Jordan Ayew was the new captain of the team, also.
| Initial squad announced by Otto Addo
So far in Group F, the Black Stars have not put up an inspiring fight. They face Angola in Luanda on Friday, November 15; and host Niger at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday, November 18.
To qualify for the Morocco 2025 AFCON tournament, Ghana must secure victories against Angola and Niger, while hoping Sudan drops points in their final matches.
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