AFCON qualifiers: Ghana rattled as key players withdraw

Ghana's hopes of qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations have suffered a setback with the withdrawal of eight key players due to injuries and personal reasons.

The players, which include Antoine Semenyo, Inaki Williams, Jonas Adjetey, Tariq Lamptey, Jerome Opoku, Alexander Djiku, Ibrahim Osman, and Joseph Painstil, withdrew due to injury, say Ghana Football authorities.

Ghanaian attacker Joseph Painstil was, however, said to have withdrawn from the qualifiers for personal reasons.

Coach Otto Addo will need to rally his remaining squad to secure crucial victories against Angola and Niger in the upcoming qualifiers.

Fading chances

A core group of players, including Mohammed Kudus, Gideon Mensah, and Joseph Wollacott, have begun training at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The quality of withdrawn players, most of whom play in Europe, has left Ghanaian football fans worried as they fear their chances of qualifying for the AFCON finals are slowly evaporating.

Ghana currently sits third in Group F with just two points, making qualification a challenging task. A win against Angola on Friday and Niger on Monday is essential to keeping their hopes alive.

On social media, some fans are suspecting the sudden withdrawal of all eight players is a mutiny in solidarity with Painstil, who fans believe may not be in good standing with head coach Otto Addo.

Crucial matches

Other fans speculate that the players may be protesting the team's recent poor performance or expressing dissatisfaction with the coaching staff.

The Ghana Football Federation says eight players have begun training at Accra Sports Stadium, kicking off preparations for the crucial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Angola and Niger taking place on Friday and next Monday, respectively.

Additional key players will arrive on Monday to bolster the squad as Coach Otto Addo intensifies preparations for the task ahead.

The next Africa Cup of Nations will take place between December 21, 2025, and January 18, 2026, with Morocco set to host the tournament across six cities.

Ghana on the brink

Ghana is looking unlikely to make it through Group F, with just two points to show from their opening four matches.

They lost 2-0 to Sudan in the latest round of matches and sit third with just two points—five behind second-placed Sudan, with Angola already qualified from Group F.

The Black Stars must win away to leaders Angola on Friday and at home to Niger three days later to have any hope of overtaking second-placed Sudan and qualifying for the 2025 tournament in Morocco.

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