Why Baba Rahman And Issahaku Opted Out Of AFCON Squad

PAOK defender Abdul Rahman Baba and Leicester City’s Abdul Fatawu Issahaku will miss the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) this January after pulling out of the squad of the head coach of the Ghana Black Stars, Chris Hughton.

The two regulars were not named among the final squad by the Irish football manager on Monday, January 1, 2024.

In a write-up following the news, Baba Rahman said his withdrawal was due to an injury.

He established, “I just wanted to say that the decision to opt out of the AFCON was solely based on footballing reasons and nothing else.”

“The last few years I have had to battle injuries and recovery times and I feel that it’s best in the interest of my career and that of the team to only play when I don’t have to think about recovery or pain- that way I can always give my best to the team,” he explained.

The reason Issahaku, who is having a formidable campaign in England on loan opted out of the squad, according to sports journalist Saddick Adams is contractual.

“Per his loan agreement at Leicester, there’s a clause that requires Fatawu Issahaku to meet a threshold of matches to secure a permanent stay with the English side. The AFCON will mean he misses a good number of games, the reason he’s opted out of the Ghana squad.”

Another notable exclusion from the squad is Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey.

Coach Hughton at a presser on January 1, 2024 said his exclusion was due to an injury.

“This is a player that has a substantial injury. I’ve spent a lot over this period of time with Thomas and also engaging with the medical staff at Arsenal Football Club. They will treat this injury with caution, and so will the player. This is a big injury for him and the biggest injury that he’s had.”

The final squad for the deferred tournament includes goalkeepers Lawrence Ati Zigi, Richard Ofori, and Jojo Wollacott.

In the defensive lineup, we have Alidu Seidu, Dennis Odoi, Kingsley Schindler, Gideon Mensah, Hamid Abdul Fatawu, Daniel Amartey, Nicholas Opoku, Alexander Djiku, and Mohammed Salisu.

Moving to the midfield, the team consists of Samed Salis, Baba Iddrisu, Majeed Ashimeru, Elisha Owusu, Richmond Lamptey, Mohammed Kudus, and Andre Ayew.

In the winger positions, we have Ransford Konigsdorffer, Osman Bukari, Joseph Paintsil, Jordan Ayew, and Ernest Nuamah.

Ghana’s strikers for the tournament include Iñaki Williams, Antoine Semenyo and Jonathan Sowah.