Black Stars defender Gideon Mensah has expressed that he is unbothered by the absence of eight teammates who withdrew from the squad for the upcoming 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Niger and Angola.
📍First training session in Accra complete! ✅#BlackStars | #AFCON2025Q pic.twitter.com/TLmA2F43e3
— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) November 11, 2024
He noted that each player has the right to make decisions that suit their circumstances, and he avoids judging them based on rumours or speculation.
Mensah added that the rest of the team remains focused on their preparations to secure wins and strengthen their standing.
Our first training session at the Accra Sports Stadium as we prepare for the AFCON qualifiers against Angola & Niger. 🔋🇬🇭#BlackStars | #AFCON2025Q pic.twitter.com/GeoiRlacDM
— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) November 11, 2024
Speaking to journalists on November 11, 2024, after the Black Stars’ first training session, the Auxerre defender affirmed that the team is not intimidated despite the absence of several key players.
“For me, I think, first of all, every player in the national team is very crucial to the team. And then obviously, we have players that we are always looking up to see in the national team, and we have players that are also there to support when other players are not there. It’s a big loss for us. “But also at this time, at the end of the day, we still have a team to cover up. And then I’m not really scared about that. So when one is not there, another person is ready to play for me,” he said.
Antoine Semenyo, Tariq Lamptey, Inaki Williams, Osman Ibrahim, Jereme Opoku, Alexander Djiku, Jonas Adjetey, and Joseph Paintsil have withdrawn from the Black Stars squad.
8 players have withdrawn from the upcoming AFCON against Angola and Niger due to various reasons.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.https://t.co/DVuBYlbgqS
— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) November 11, 2024
Notably, seven of these players cited injuries as the reason for their withdrawal, with only Paintsil stepping down for personal reasons.
This development deals a significant setback to the Black Stars’ goal of securing victories against Niger and Angola while hoping for Sudan to lose their remaining games to aid Ghana’s qualification chances.
After four matches, Ghana sits in third place in Group F with two points, trailing Sudan, who holds seven points in second, and Angola, who leads the group with twelve points.
Ghana is set to face Angola on November 15, 2024, before hosting Niger at the Accra Sports Stadium on November 18, 2024.
