Otto Addo snubs in-form Andre Ayew ahead of Mali, CAR matches

In his first assignment as a substantive head coach of the Black Stars, Otto Addo has omitted captain Andre Ayew from his 26-man squad ahead of Ghana’s crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Mali and Comoros.

The former Marseille forward has struggled to impress in the Black Stars shirt in recent times but bounced back for Le Havre in the French Ligue 1 scoring six goals in 20 games across all competitions with an assist.

His efforts saw the French side survive relegation threats finishing 15th.

However, Otto Addo seems to have moved on with more focus on youthful talents.

A proper legend of the game 🫡

Grab your popcorn and enjoy all 🔟 of André Ayew’s #TotalEnergiesAFCON goals 🍿 pic.twitter.com/f6GMYZLyCj

— CAF (@CAF_Online) August 5, 2023

Other notable absentees are Inaki Williams, Majeed Ashimeru Joseph Paintsil, Baba Iddrisu, and Nathaniel Adjei, Daniel Amartey, Denis Odoi who have been sidelined due to injury.

Meanwhile, Ghana will for the first time in 2024 see Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey back in the squad having last featured in October during the friendlies against the United States and Mexico.

After gaining promotion to the English Premier League with Southampton, Kamaldeen Sulemana has also returned to the Black Stars squad.

Meanwhile, the only local-based player in the squad is Asante Kotoko’s Frederick Asare.

Ibrahim Sulemana as earlier reported by 3Sports has earned his maiden call-up after his impressive season with Cagliari.

• Otto Addo urged to make final decision on Andre Ayew
• Andre Ayew celebrates sixth goal of the season as Le Havre battle for survival

Ghana is set to face Mali on June 6 before taking on the Central African Republic four days later.

The squad will begin their training camp on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at the Legon Stadium, where they will train for six days before departing for the crucial encounter in Mali.

After the match in Mali, they will return to Kumasi, Ghana, to face the Central African Republic (CAR).

These games are vital for the Black Stars, who currently sit fourth in Group I, trailing Comoros, Mali, and Madagascar, who have six, four, and three points respectively.

The Black Stars started their campaign with a win against Madagascar but suffered a defeat against Comoros in their second game.

Otto Addo is therefore tasked to turn things around in the next matches having failed to win a game during the March friendlies against Nigeria and Uganda

Full squad