Ghana's AFCON Qualifier Woes Deepen as Eight Players Withdraw from Squad

• Eight players have withdrawn from Ghana's squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers
• England-based duo of Antoine Semenyo and Tariq Lamptey have all been confirmed to have picked injuries
• The Black Stars will travel to Luanda to play Angola on Friday before hosting Niger in Accra next Monday

The Black Stars of Ghana have been further weakened ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Angola and Niger.

Eight players from coach Otto Addo's 25-man squad for the two games have withdrawn from the squad for various reasons.

Most of these players pulled out of the squad due to injuries, while US-based winger Joseph Paintsil sighted personal reasons for his absence.

The Ghana Football Association confirmed the withdrawals of these players in an official statement on their website.

This means the head coach needs to find replacements for the absentees before the trip to Angola.

Read also

Eight Players Report to Training as 'Depleted' Black Stars Prepare Ahead of AFCON Qualifiers: Photos

Below are the reasons for each player's absence

Inaki Williams: Hamstring injury picked up on November 7, and he 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 Sper 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 an overload of games. The Club medical team thought it wise to use the break to refer him to a tendon specialist to prevent the 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.

Read also

West Ham Fan Travels From Togo to Meet Idol Mohammed Kudus in Ghana: Video

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

The Black Stars will face Angola in Luanda on Friday before engaging Niger next Monday in Accra, per the BBC.

Inaki Williams doubtful for AFCON qualifiers

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghanaian forward Inaki Williams could miss Ghana's upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers due to injury.

The Black Stars forward is reported to have suffered a hamstring muscle problem which has ruled him out of Athletic Bilbao's La Liga game against Real Valladolid.

Williams has become a doubt for the final two games in Group F of the qualifiers against Angola and Niger.

Source: YEN.com.gh