Head coach of the Black Stars of Ghana, Charles Kwablan Akonnor has dropped all the locally-based players from the latest 23-man squad.
With no football played in Ghana since the 2019/2020 Ghana Premier League season was truncated due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, Akonnor has relied on expatriate players to kick-start his Black Stars career.
The Black Stars of Ghana will be facing the Eagles of Mali in an international friendly game with Ghana’s last competitive match played in November against São Tomé and Príncipe.
In Akonnor’s first Black Stars team, he called four locally-based players: Richard Attah (Accra Hearts of Oak), Mohammed Yahaya (Aduana Stars), Habib Mohammed (Kumasi Asante Kotoko), and Kwadwo Amoako (Ashgold SC).
The Black Stars head coach did not give a reason as to why he did not select any local-based players.
Ghana was scheduled to play a double-header Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier with Sudan with the first leg set to be played in Cape Coast on March 27, 2020, but the game was called off due to COVID-19.
Akonnor will now lead the Black Stars in a friendly game against Mali in Antalya, Turkey after Equatorial Guinea pulled out of the game.
The Black Stars will play Mali on Friday, October 9, behind closed doors and under strict COVID-19 protocols.
Full squad:
Goalkeepers
Richard Ofori (Maritzburg United – South Africa)
Razak Abalora (Unattached)
Richard Ati Zigi (St. Gallen – Switzerland)
Defenders
Alexander Djiku (Strasbourg – France)
Lumor Agbenyenu (Sporting Club – Portugal)
Nicholas Opoku (Amiens – France)
Benson Anang (MSK Zilina – Slovenia)
Yakubu Mohammed (Azam FC – Tanzania)
Kasim Nuhu (Fortuna Düsseldorf – Germany)
Joseph Aidoo (Celta de Vigo – Spain)
Gideon Mensah (Vitoria de Guimaraes)
Midfielders
Baba Iddrisu (RCD Mallorca – Spain)
Thomas Partey (Atlético Madrid – Spain)
Kudus Mohammed (Ajax Amsterdam – The Netherlands)
Bernard Mensah (Besikstas – Turkey)
Emmanuel Lomotey (Amiens – France)
Forwards
Samuel Owusu (Al Fayha FC – Saudi Arabia)
Andre Ayew (Swansea City – England)
John Antwi (Pyramid FC – Egypt)
Eugene Ansah (Ironi Kiryat Shmona – Israel)
Jeffery Schlupp (Crystal Palace – England)
Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace – England)
Kamal Deen (FC Nordsjælland)
