Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kurt Okraku has urged the media not to overstate the player withdrawals, citing the wave of player withdrawals ahead of the start of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign.

Speaking during an engagement on Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show on Wednesday, September 23, the local football governing body president stressed that the withdrawals were genuine and not linked to GFA, the coach or technical staff.

“We should not overstretch this discussion because the situation at hand is real. These players are injured, and that is the fact, and it has nothing to do with the technical team or the Football Association”, he said.

“The withdrawals should not be overstretched. Quite a number of our players are injured. No Ghanaian player intentionally did not want to play for Ghana since I started serving as FA President.”

Ghana’s head coach Carlos released the 24-man squad for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, and a few days after, about seven of the players, including Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo, Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, Baba Rahman, Nathaniel Adjei and Alidu Seidu, have pulled out over injuries or personal issues.

“Jordan Ayew has been one of the best players and one of the players we can always count on, but after an MRI scan, the medical team told Ayew and Baba Rahman to focus on their clubs, and we can invite them in the future,” he said.

Okraku also explained that Semenyo’s absence followed a physical reaction after featuring for his club at the weekend.

“Semenyo played over the weekend, and he had a reaction, which is normal. Antoine was willing to come, but the truth is that he had a swollen leg, which prevented him from coming. As a federation, we know the medical history of all the players,” he continued..

The injuries have prompted Queiroz to reshape his squad, with Brandon Thomas-Asante, Felix Afena-Gyan and Jonas Adjetey drafted in for the upcoming fixtures.

Rockson Yeboah and Rahim Ibrahim have also received their first senior international call-ups as Ghana look to begin a new chapter following their failure to qualify for the 2025 AFCON finals in Morocco.

The Black Stars travel to Bouaké to face Côte d’Ivoire on 24 September before returning home to take on Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium three days later.

Ghana will then round off the international window with a friendly against Morocco in Tangier on 4 October.