The Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Henry Asante Twum, has explained that the decision to leave some key players out of the Black Stars squad for the Kirin Challenge Cup was to give them rest.
Thomas Partey, Kudus Mohammed, Ernest Nuamah, Elisha Owusu, Alexander Djiku and captain Jordan Ayew were omitted from the squad for the games against Japan and Korea.
The communications director disclosed that the GFA and the players had a mutual agreement to allow them to rest adequately and prepare for their clubs once international duty is over.
He also noted that some players had picked up injuries, while others were already struggling with fitness issues, so it was considered wise to leave them out to recover.
Watch Black Stars‘ first training session in Japan
“Absentees from the Black Stars squad for the Japan and South Korea friendly games are due to legitimate reasons and not the travelling distance.”
“We all came to the agreement that some players need rest while others are nursing injuries, so we decided to let them stay behind. The new faces in the squad have been on the technical team’s list for some time now, so this is an opportunity for them to prove their worth in these games,” he said on Asempa FM.
He further reiterated that the friendly matches against Japan and South Korea are meant to assess the squad and identify the best talents.
“These friendly games are aimed at working on specific aspects of the Black Stars and among the players. We just want to make use of the best talent for the future,” he added.
The Black Stars will hold their final training session at Toyota Stadium in Aichi on Thursday, November 13, ahead of the friendly match against Japan on Friday, November 14, 2025.
They will later travel to face South Korea in their second friendly of the tour on November 18, 2025.
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Meanwhile, watch the feature about Swedru All Blacks’ journey from the Division One to the GPL below
