Ghanaian Head Coach, Otto Addo has disclosed that midfielder Thomas Partey eagerly wanted to play for the Black Stars in the upcoming 2025 AFCON qualifiers against Angola and Niger.
At a press conference on Thursday, Addo announced his 25-man squad as the Black Stars aim to make the most of their slim chances of qualifying for the AFCON, but Thomas Partey did not make the team.
Explaining his decision to drop Partey, Addo said the midfielder wanted to join the national team but he decided to drop him after holding confidential talks.
“I had a confidential talk with Thomas Partey. I’m a coach who always likes to protect the players, so I hope you understand,” Addo said.
“For me, the team is like family and I’m not coming out with internal issues. He wanted to come but I made it quite clear to him why he’s not coming. Like I said, it’s confidential. It’s difficult for me to mention all the things,” he added.
The Arsenal midfielder has been left out of the squad despite the fact that he’s currently fit and played in the Gunners’ UEFA Champions League game against Inter Milan on Wednesday.
A section of the Ghanaian public however think this is a spin, attributing the players drop to punishment for him refusing to come and play against Sudan.
