Abu, others get late call-up as injury hits Black Stars camp
Black Stars coach, Otto Addo, has handed a late call-up to four European-based players following the withdrawal of some key players for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Sudan at the Accra Sports Stadium on Thursday, October 10.
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The players — Michael Baidoo has stepped in for Joseph Paintsil; Abu Francis has taken Thomas Partey’s place, and Jonas Adjetey has also replaced Kingsley Schindler, while Ibrahim Osman's place has been given to Ibrahim Sadick.
The Ghana gaffer last Friday announced a 25-man squad expected to rekindle the Black Stars' campaign after an unimpressive start to the qualifiers.
They lost their first game 0-1 to Angola at the Baba Yara Stadium followed by a 1-1 draw against Niger in Morocco during their second game.
Setback
However, the effort to revive the qualifying campaign has hit a major setback following the withdrawal of these key players, whose clubs reported that they picked varied degrees of injury while playing during the weekend.
Baidoo, 25, a midfielder who plays for Elfsborg in the Swedish top flight, will be making his senior international debut after making just two appearances for the Black Satellites in 2016.
For Abu Francis, who replaced Thomas Partey, he would have huge shoes to fill as the 23-year-old who plies his trade in the Belgian Pro League with Cercle Brugge, will be getting his second call-up after an earlier one this year.
Also making his debut will be 24-year-old Ibrahim Sadick, a product of the Right To Dream Academy, who currently plays as a winger in the Dutch league for AZ Alkmaar. Sadick, a member of the 2017 Black Starlets squad, as well as the 2019 Black Satellites team, is expected to play a crucial role in Coach Addo's team.
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Adjetey, 20, the youngest of the four, who recently got his debut as a replacement for injured Alexander Djiku, and plays as a centre-back in the Swiss Super League side, FC Basel, has already made 11 appearances across all competitions for his side this season and that informed the coach's decision to give him a late call-up.
Meanwhile 12 players joined the team yesterday bringing the total players in camp to 23.
They are Lawrence Ati Zigi, Inaki Williams, Alexander Djiku, Abdul Mumin, Ernest Nuamah, Majeed Ashimeru, Alidu Seidu, Ibrahim Sulemana, Tariq Lamptey, Ibrahim Sadick, Michael Baidoo, and Jerome Opoku.