Kurt Okraku Breaks Silence on Jordan Ayew, Antoine Semenyo and Other Ghana Withdrawals

• Kurt Okraku addressed the growing number of withdrawals from the Black Stars squad ahead of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers
• Jordan Ayew became the latest player to withdraw, joining Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo, and Thomas Partey on the absentee list
• Okraku argued that injuries from demanding club schedules are behind the absences

Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kurt Okraku has come out in defence of the Black Stars players who have withdrawn from the squad ahead of the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, attributing the absences primarily to injury.

Jordan Ayew is the most recent withdrawal from Carlos Queiroz's squad, joining Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo, Thomas Partey and Nathaniel Adjei in pulling out ahead of the qualifiers.

Kurt Okraku speaks on Black Stars withdrawal

Speaking to Asempa FM, Okraku was firm in his position that no player had deliberately avoided representing the country.

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"Quite a number of our players are injured. No Ghanaian player intentionally did not want to play for Ghana since I started serving as the FA president," he said, as quoted by Ghanasoccernet.

The GFA boss went further to explain the physical toll that top-level club football places on players, noting that many push through discomfort to remain available for their employers before eventually breaking down.

"A lot of these players play a lot of games or go through serious training regimes and most often get medical issues. A lot of them force themselves to play at club level because they are employed full-time. So they give their utmost opportunity to compete and to be selected," he added.

Ghana not alone in facing withdrawals

Okraku also sought to contextualise the situation, pointing out that managing absentees during international windows is a challenge faced by national teams worldwide, not a problem unique to Ghana.

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"All over the world, you have situations of at least five players pulling out to take care of their medical needs," he noted.

The remarks come as Ghana prepares for a challenging double-header in the AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign, beginning with an away fixture against Côte d'Ivoire in Bouaké on Thursday, followed by a home tie against The Gambia.

How many players have withdrawn from Black Stars?

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghana’s squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers had been hit by a wave of injuries and withdrawals.

Eight players are now unavailable or under assessment and will miss the September-October international fixtures.

Source: YEN.com.gh