Ghana’s forward, Joseph Paintsil, will be absent from the Black Stars squad scheduled to face the Central African Republic this week.
The national team has been in training since Monday, gearing up for the final Group E match in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Joseph Paintsil was one of the 25 players initially called up for the match against the Central African Republic.
Regrettably, he has been unable to recover from an injury he sustained in Genk’s recent match. Consequently, he won’t be available for the AFCON qualifier and has been granted permission to return to Belgium for treatment.
A statement from the GFA (Ghana Football Association) explained, “The Technical team of the Black Stars has granted Joseph Paintsil permission to return to his club in Belgium due to injury.
“The winger sustained the injury in the last period of his League game against Anderlecht on Sunday and was later substituted – forcing him to withdraw from Thursday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Central African Republic. The player will return to his club immediately to commence rehabilitation,” a communiqué by the GFA said on Tuesday, September 5.
With Paintsil’s absence, Coach Chris Hughton is now left with 24 players and will conclude preparations for the match against the Central African Republic tomorrow.
The game is scheduled to take place on Thursday at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.