Ghanaian forward Antoine Semenyo will miss the Black Stars’ final round of qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Bournemouth Striker is sidelined due to a patella tendon injury.
In addition to Semenyo, seven other players have withdrawn from the squad due to various reasons. Inaki Williams(Athletic club), Tariq Lamptey (Brighton), Jonas Adjetey (FC Basel), Jerome Opoku (İstanbul Başakşehir) , Alexander Djiku (Fenerbahçe), Ibrahim Osman( Feynoord), and Joseph Paintsil ( LA Galaxy) will not be available for the matches against Angola on November 15 and Niger on November 18.
The Ghana Football Association announced the withdrawals, citing injuries and personal reasons for the absences.
Ghana currently sits third in Group F with two points from four matches. With Angola (12 points) leading the group, Sudan (7 points) in second, and Niger (1 point) at the bottom, Ghana faces a daunting task to qualify for the 2025 AFCON. The Black Stars must win both their remaining matches and hope for favourable results in other group games to stand a chance of qualifying for the main tournament in Morocco.
Below is the follow statement from Ghana FA
Eight players have withdrawn from the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Angola and Niger due to various reasons. They include, Antoine Semenyo, Inaki Williams, Jonas Adjetey, Tariq Lamptey, Jerome Opoku, Alexander Djiku, Ibrahim Osman and Joseph Painstil.
Read on to learn more about the reasons for withdrawal:
Inaki Williams: Hamstring injury picked up on November 7 and 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 overload of games. The Club medical team thought it wise to use the break to refer him to a tendon specialist to prevent 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.
Ibrahim Osman: He picked up a hamstring injury in his last outing for his club which got him substituted at half time.
Joseph Paintsil: Personal
By Michael Nabary
