Partey Availed But I Refused Him; Otto Addo on Exclusion            

The Head Coach of the Black Stars, Otto Addo has provided some insight into the omission of Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey from his squad to face Angola and Niger in the last round of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

According to him, the player wanted to join the squad; however, he refused him a slot. He, however, refused to share more information on this, noting his primary objective is to protect players.

“I had a confidential talk with Thomas.  I’m a coach who always likes to protect the players. For me, the team is like family and I’m not coming out with internal issues. He wanted to come but I made it quite clear to him why he was not coming… We have to move on.”

Thomas Partey failed to honour the last call-up to represent Ghana against Sudan. The Ghana Football Association (GFA) issued a statement saying he was sick; however, an insider debunked it.

Right after the international break, Partey was named to feature in Arsenal’s game, attracting public attention and condemnation.

Many believe the player is not really committed to the nation and has called for his total exclusion from the squad.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini