George Afriyie, a former vice president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), has expressed dissatisfaction with the explanations given for the absences of Thomas Partey, Joseph Paintsil, and Osman Bukari during the matches against Sudan.
The GFA attributed Partey’s absence to a medical condition, while claiming that Bukari and Paintsil missed the matches due to unspecified pain experienced in previous games. However, Afriyie believes these explanations are insufficient and has questioned their validity.
Former Black Stars Management Committee Chair, Afriyie, expressed skepticism about the explanations given for the team’s recent loss.
The Black Stars played a scoreless draw in Accra last Thursday but were ultimately defeated 2-0 by Libya in the return match on Tuesday.
“There are so many unanswered questions as to why we failed to win here [in Ghana] and those questions you the media must ask them,” Afriyie told Joy Sports.
“I’m not convinced by the kind of excuses being given for why Partey, Paintsil, and Bukari couldn’t come. They just want you to take them and accept them.”
Ghana’s chances of qualifying for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) are in jeopardy. After four qualifying matches, they sit in third place in their group with only two points. This puts them on the brink of missing the tournament for the first time in two decades.
Ghana will have two more opportunities to secure their qualification in November. They will face Niger and Angola in their final group stage matches.
