In a shocking turn of events, Coach Otto Addo and Ghana’s national football Association, the Black Stars, announced the latest squad on Wednesday 29th May 2024 without three prominent names: Inaki Williams, Dede Ayew, and Baba Rahman who has been in the best form of his career this season. The omission of these key players has sparked a bit of controversy and speculation among fans and football analysts alike.
However, Coach Otto Addo in his press statements shed more light on the omission of captain Andre Ayew from the Black Stars squad ahead of the crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Despite the captain’s impressive form for Le Havre in the French Ligue 1, he wasn’t called to be part of the team to face Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR).
The 34-year-old Ex Marseille forward struggled to impress in the Black Stars shirt in recent outings but bounced back for Le Havre in the French Ligue 1 registerin six goals in 20 games across all competitions with one assist.
His efforts and contribution made his French side survive relegation threats finishing 15th.
But, Otto Addo seems to have more focus on youthful talents as he called up many.
Coach Otto Addo explained that,
“I had a long talk with Andre. I visited him and gave him the reasons why he is not in the squad at the moment. I usually hear it like this don’t talk about those in the squad. For me I can say I don’t like to give information out about what we spoke about.
“At the moment, Andre is a living legend of Ghana. It’s unbelievable what he did for the country and It’s the most difficult decision because I like him as a person and also as a player. And this is a decision we took not like we totally agreed but I gave him the explanation so I don’t want to take it to another extent and say something for people to write about.
The team is set to begin camping on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at the Legon Sports Stadium, where they will have training sessions for six days before departing for the crucial encounter in Mali.
After their clash in Mali, they will return to Kumasi, Ghana, to face the Central African Republic.
These games are very mportant for the Black Stars, who currently in the fourth position in Group I, trailing to Comoros, Mali, and Madagascar, who have six, four, and three points respectively.
Ghana Black Stars started their campaign with a win against Madagascar but bowed to a defeat against Comoros in their second game.
Otto Addo is tasked to mak a turn of things in the subsequent games having failed to win a game during the March friendlies played against Nigeria and Uganda.