AFCON 2025: “There are equally good replacements for players who have withdrawn” - Gideon Mensah

Photo Credit: Ghana Football Association

Ghana’s preparations for the last two 2025 AFCON qualifiers was thrown into disarray following the withdrawal of eight players from the squad.

The Black Stars could miss the next AFCON for the first time in 20-years as they sit third in group F on two points - five behind second placed Sudan and 10 adrift of leaders, Angola. The challenges in qualifying for the continental football showpiece have been compounded by the withdrawal of eight players ahead of the crucial matches.

Apart from LA Galaxy winger Joseph Paintsil who cited personal reasons for pulling out, the remaining seven players including Antoine Semenyo, Ibrahim Osman, Tariq Lamptey, Jerome Opoku, and Iñaki Williams are all reportedly nursing injuries. The impact of the absence of these key players could very dire for coach Otto Addo’s but left back Gideon Mensah believes there equally good replacements.

“For me every player is very crucial to the team and obviously we have players that we are always looking up to see in the national team. And we have other players that are there to support when others are not there.

It’s a big loss for us but at the same time we still have a team to cover up...I’m not really scared about that because like I said, everybody is crucial to the team, one is not there, one is ready to play,” Mensah said.

In the absence of the eight players coach Otto Addo brought in Osman Bukari (Austin FC), Ransford-Yeboah Köningsdörffer (Hamburger SV), Forson Amankwah (Norwich City), Terry Yegbe (IF Elfsborg), Ebenezer Annan (OFK Beograd) and Kingsley Schindler (Samsunspor) as replacements.

Ghana faces Angola on Friday, November 15 and hosts Niger on Monday. The team held first training at Accra Sports Stadium on Monday, November 18.