Black Stars coach Otto Addo has explained the reasoning behind Thomas Partey’s exclusion from Ghana’s squad for their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier matches against Angola and Niger.
Partey, the Arsenal midfielder, has been left out of the 25-man squad for the crucial final round of AFCON qualifiers. Speaking to the media, Addo refrained from sharing specific details of his conversation with Partey but offered some context for the decision.
“I had a confidential talk with Thomas. I am the coach who always wants to protect the players,” Addo explained.
“The whole point for me was getting the understanding. I am not going to tell you the internal issues, but I made it quite clear to him; he wanted to come, but I made it quite clear why he’s not coming.”
He continued, “Like I said, it is confidential, so it’s difficult for me to mention all the things, so maybe we have to move on,” he added, indicating that the matter is settled.
Partey’s absence has prompted a shift in the leadership structure of the Black Stars. Addo revealed that there had initially been plans to appoint Partey as the team’s captain, with the aim of having him take on a leadership role.
“The initiative was to make Thomas the captain of the team and for him to guide the team, to lead the team,” Addo stated.
With Partey no longer available, Addo has turned to younger players to take on leadership responsibilities.
He mentioned that after discussions with Partey, he spoke to Mohammed Kudus, noting that the midfielder still needs time to grow into the captaincy role.
“After the talks with Thomas… I had to talk to Kudus. For him, I think he’s still young; he needs to grow into that role.”
While defender Alexander Djiku and Kudus had been expected to assist Partey, Jordan Ayew has now been named captain in his absence.
“The last time, he was the captain because we expected Thomas to come,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the absence of Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew has been named as the captain of the team for the games.
Ghana will travel to Luanda to face Angola on November 15 at the Estádio 11 de Novembro, followed by a home fixture against Niger on November 18 at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Currently, the Black Stars sit in third place in Group F with just two points from four matches, trailing Angola and Sudan.
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