Black Stars coach, Otto Addo, has announced a 25-man squad for the upcoming crucial AFCON qualifiers against Angola and Niger.
The squad features a surprising inclusion of three home-based players, while Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has been omitted.
Asante Kotoko’s Emmanuel Antwi and Nations defender Razak Simpson will join Samartex defender Isaac Afful as the local talents called up for the national team.
Partey, who missed the October qualifiers against Sudan, has once again been left out of the squad. Addo revealed that he had a private conversation with the Arsenal star, stating, “I had a confidential talk with Thomas. I am the coach who always wants to protect the players.”
“The whole point for me was getting the understanding. I am not going to tell you the internal issues, but I made it quite clear to him; he wanted to come, but I made it quite clear why he’s not coming,” Addo added.
The Black Stars squad is bolstered by the return of Premier League stars Mohammed Kudus, Jordan Ayew, Fatawu Issahaku, and Antoine Semenyo, along with the recovery of Joseph Paintsil and Ibrahim Osman from injuries.
Ghana must secure victories in both matches and hope that Sudan falters to qualify for the AFCON tournament in Morocco. The Black Stars will face Angola on November 15 in Luanda and Niger on November 18 in Accra.