AFCON 2025 Qualifiers: Injuries decimate Ghana squad ahead of Niger clash

Kweku Zurek Sports News Nov - 17 - 2024 , 11:41 2 minutes read

Ghana’s hopes of salvaging pride in their final AFCON 2025 qualifier against Niger have suffered a significant blow, with key players ruled out due to injuries.

Leicester City duo Jordan Ayew and Fatawu Issahaku, along with defenders Alidu Seidu and Gideon Mensah, will miss Monday’s clash, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has confirmed.

The quartet played in Friday’s 1-1 draw against Angola, a result that officially ended Ghana’s hopes of qualifying for the tournament in Morocco next year.

Ayew, who scored a spectacular free-kick as Ghana captain in that match, was later diagnosed with significant knee damage following MRI scans in Accra. Meanwhile, Issahaku, substituted in the first half, also sustained a serious injury.

Both Seidu and Mensah had already been carrying knocks heading into Friday’s game, with late fitness tests granting them the green light to play. However, post-match assessments revealed they were unfit to continue in the international window.

The GFA in a statement on its website announced that consultations between the Black Stars’ medical head, Dr Prince Pambo, and Leicester City’s medical team have led to Ayew and Issahaku being sent back to their club for rehabilitation.

This latest setback compounds an already difficult situation for coach Otto Addo, whose squad has been ravaged by injuries, with eight players withdrawing earlier in the campaign. Ghana, winless in their qualifiers, will now face Niger with a severely depleted side, knowing that even a victory holds no significance for their eliminated team.

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For Niger, however, the stakes remain high. A win could see them progress to AFCON 2025 if Sudan lose their simultaneous fixture against Angola.

Ghana’s campaign has been a bitter disappointment, and Monday’s fixture will serve as a challenging final chapter in a qualification effort marred by misfortune and missed opportunities.