Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kurt Okraku has dismissed suggestions that any Black Stars player deliberately chose not to represent the national team ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The four-time African champions have been hit by a wave of withdrawals before opening Group C fixtures against Côte d’Ivoire and Gambia, with Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo, Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, Baba Rahman, Nathaniel Adjei and Alidu Seidu all unavailable because of injury or personal reasons.
The absences have prompted speculation that some players may have opted out of the squad, but Okraku insists that has not been the case during his tenure as GFA president.
“Quite a number of our players are injured. No Ghanaian player intentionally did not want to play for Ghana since I started serving as the FA president,” he told Asempa FM.
He said the demands of club football often leave players carrying injuries into international windows.
“A lot of these players play a lot of games or go through serious training regimes and most often get medical issues,” Okraku added.
“A lot of them force themselves to play at club level because they are employed full-time. So they give off their utmost opportunity to compete and to be selected.”
He also argued that late withdrawals are a common feature of international football.
“All over the world, you have situations of at least a minimum of five players pulling out to take care of their medical needs.”
Head coach Carlos Queiroz has reshaped his squad in response to the withdrawals, handing opportunities to several players.
Brandon Thomas-Asante, Felix Afena-Gyan and Jonas Adjetey have all been drafted into the squad, while Rockson Yeboah and Rahim Ibrahim have earned their first senior call-ups.
Ghana open their qualifying campaign away to Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké on 24 September before hosting Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium three days later.
The Black Stars are seeking a return to the Africa Cup of Nations after missing out on qualification for the 2025 finals in Morocco.
Queiroz’s side will then conclude the international window with a friendly against Morocco in Tangier on 4 October.
