Captain Andre Ayew has been left out of the Black Stars squad for its next 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Angola and Niger, as head coach Otto Addo has done again.
With his exclusion from the previous matches against Mali and the Central African Republic, this decision represents Andre Ayew’s second consecutive omission.
On August 29, 2024, at the Ghana FA Headquarters in Accra, Addo announced the squad to the media. However, he did not reiterate his reasoning for leaving out Ayew.
He stated that he was confident in the younger players who had shown promise in the previous games and that their inclusion was a calculated move to create a competitive team going forward.
Even though Ayew isn’t there, Addo made it clear that the door isn’t always locked for the seasoned forward, raising the prospect of his comeback.
“We did quite well playing young players, and I know it will get tough. I don’t want to explain myself why Andre is not here,” Addo stated, emphasizing his focus on maintaining the team’s momentum with the current squad.
On September 5, Ghana will play Angola in Kumasi. Four days later, on September 6, Ghana will play Niger in Morocco.
Ayew is a vital member of the Black Stars and a leader, so his absence will undoubtedly be discussed by both fans and analysts as the squad attempts to qualify for the elite competition.