Otto Addo, Head Coach of the Black Stars has described skipper Andre Ayew as one of the players he respects most in his coaching career.
The 34-year-old was left out in Otto Addo’s 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Mali and Central African Republic.
The Head Coach speaking at a press conference on Wednesday said, “I had a long talk with Andre Ayew and gave him the reason he is not in the squad. This is the decision we took and it’s not like he necessarily agreed but I still have big respect for him.”
He remained tight-lipped on the reasons he excluded Ayew from the squad despite his superb form in the last stage of the 2023/24 season.
The Coach said the player was still available for selection ahead of upcoming tournaments.
In his absence, Thomas Partey would take charge as captain of the team.
Andre Ayew, who is Ghana’s most capped player has made 120 appearances, netting 24 goals.
He made his debut for the Black Stars in 2007 and went on to feature in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations where Ghana finished third place.
The one-time BBC African Footballer of the Year was part of Ghana’s team that made history during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Since then, he has featured in some major tournaments like the 2014 World Cup, 2015 AFCON, 2019 AFCON, 2021 AFCON, the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 AFCON.
Source: GNA
