Some two Ghanaian players have seen their 2024/2025 season cut short by anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries within two weeks. First, Leicester winger Abdul Fatawu Issahaku tore his ACL during Ghana’s game against Angola in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and had to return to England for treatment.
Shortly after the international break, Alidu Seidu, while playing in Ligue 1, suffered a similar injury and was forced off the pitch just 18 minutes into the game.
Before their injuries, both Issahaku and Seidu were enjoying standout seasons. Issahaku led the Premier League in take-ons, having played 11 matches and contributed two assists, while Seidu was named Rennes’ Fans’ Player of the Month for September, appearing in 11 games and averaging 2.0 tackles per match.
Unfortunately, both players will miss the remainder of the season, a significant blow to their teams’ ambitions for silverware.
For players who were once considered indispensable, the fear now is that prolonged absences could lead to them losing their spots in the team.
Following these setbacks, the Black Stars’ team doctor, Dr. Prince Pambo, has attributed the rise in such injuries to the increasingly congested football schedule, which he believes is taking a toll on players’ bodies.
In an interview with 3Sports, Dr. Pambo highlighted the role of increased match loads in the recent surge in ACL injuries.
“ACL injuries used not to be so common but what is clear now is that the kind of load that players are exposed to has literally quadrupled compared to previous times so now players are playing a lot more games and there is lots of load on players compared to what used to happen in times past. That for me is the contributing factor,” he explained.
Dr. Pambo also pointed to the evolution of football as another contributing factor.
“Beyond the increased workload, the game itself has become more sophisticated. Players are running more and doing a lot more with the ball,” he added.
Watch the moment Otto Addo joined Jerry Afriyie on the pitch to celebrate debut Black Stars goal
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