Coach of the senior national team, the Black Stars, Otoo Addo, has dropped skipper Andrew Dede Ayew from the 26-man squad ahead of the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Mali and the Central African Republic.
The Black Stars coach selected 26 players for the double-header, which starts with a trip to Bamako against the Eagles on June 6.
The Black Stars will then return home to battle the Central African Republic in Kumasi on June 10.
Among the squad, there are debut call-ups for Cagliari midfielder Ibrahim Sulemana and West Bromwich forward Brandon Thomas-Asante.
Asante Kotoko goalkeeper Frederick Asare is the only home-based player named in the squad by the Ghanaian gaffer.
He, however, dropped the skipper, who played for French Ligue 1 side Le Havre in the just-ended season, scoring six goals in 19 appearances to help them survive.
The coach explained the reason for dropping the skipper, saying he did not want to go into that since he had already spoken to Dede over the matter.
According to him, he explained to him the reason why he dropped him but would not want to make that information public.
He added that Dede Ayew was not happy he was dropped, but that was a decision he, as coach, took in the interest of the team.
“I had a long talk with Andre and gave him the reason why he is not in the squad. I talk to players directly I don’t like to put information out about what we spoke about. This is the decision we took and it’s not like he necessarily agreed but I still have big respect for him.”
