Otto Addo drops Thomas Partey as he names 25-man squad for Angola and Niger clash
By Lukman MUMIN, Accra
Black Stars coach Otto Addo has dropped Arsenal star Thomas Partey from his squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The four-time African champions, who are on the brink of missing the tournament in Morocco next year, will face Angola and Niger in the final two matches of Group F.
During the announcement of his squad in Accra on Thursday, Addo surprisingly left out the Arsenal man, insisting he spoke to the player over his decision to leave him out.
“I had a confidential talk with Thomas. I am the coach who always wants to protect the players,” Addo explained.
“I hope for your understanding. For me, the team is like a family, so 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.”
Partey missed last month’s games against Sudan after reportedly falling ill a day before his trip to Ghana for the Sudan game.
Meanwhile, returning to the squad after a year absence is goalkeeper Abdul Manaf Nurudeen.
Three home-based players, Emmanuel Antwi (Asante Kotoko), Razak Simpson (Nations FC) and Isaac Afful have been included in the team for the two games.
Below is the full squad:
Goalkeepers
Ati Zigi Lawrence
Manaf Nurudeen
Jojo Wollacott
Defenders
Alidu Seidu
Tariq Lamptey
Jonas Adjetey
Nathaniel Adjei
Djiku Alexander
Jerome Opoku
Gideon Mensah
Isaac Afful
Razak Simpson
Midfielders
Elisha Owusu
Abu Francis
Ibrahim Sulemana
Baidoo Michael
Kudus Mohammed
Emmanuel Antwi
Attackers
Ibrahim Osman
Nuamah Ernest
Semenyo Antoine
Jordan Ayew
Inaki Williams
Fatawu Issahaku
Joseph Paintsil
