Ghana coach Otto Addo has revealed the reasons behind Arsenal’s Thomas Partey exclusion from the Black Stars squad for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Angola and Niger.
The former Dortmund coach explained that the decision was made after a confidential conversation with Partey, stating, “I had a confidential talk with Thomas. I am the coach who always wants to protect the players.” While Partey expressed his desire to play, Addo deemed it necessary to exclude him from the squad.
Partey’s absence follows a previous withdrawal due to illness in October. In his absence, West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus was named captain. However, with Partey unavailable for the upcoming qualifiers, Jordan Ayew will now assume the captain’s armband.
“Now, as we know Thomas is not coming, we made a decision, and at the end I decided to pick a new captain which will be Jordan [Ayew],” Addo stated. “So I talked to Kudus to understand that he’s young and needs to grow into that role and I want him to still be second captain alongside [Alexander] Djiku, but Jordan will take over now and he will lead and guide the team.”
Ghana currently sits third in Group F with two points from four matches. With Angola (12points) leading the group, Sudan (7points) in second, and Niger ( 1 point) at the bottom, Ghana faces a daunting task to qualify for the 2025 AFCON. To secure a spot in the tournament, the Black Stars must improve their performance and win their upcoming matches against Angola on November 15th and Niger three days later. Additionally, they will need favourable results from other group matches to boost their chances.
By Michael Nabary
