The Ghana Football Association (GFA) says the withdrawals of Inaki Williams and Brandon Thomas-Asante from Ghana’s upcoming international friendlies were decided jointly by the team’s medical and technical staff.
Both players were named in coach Otto Addo’s squad but pulled out due to fitness concerns ahead of matches against Austria and Germany.
GFA Communications Director Henry Asante Twum said the process followed standard procedure after their clubs raised concerns.
“So this is normal. Once the squad is made, the players normally have one game to play before they move to come. So, Brandon and Inaki, immediately after they played their games on Sunday, their clubs contacted the medical department of the team. And then they notified us with possible withdrawals,” he told Citi Sports.
Coventry City sent medical scans for Thomas-Asante, who played 62 minutes in their 3-0 win over Swansea City before being taken off with a knock.
Asante Twum said Ghana’s medical staff reviewed the information together with the coaching team before making a decision.
“Normally what happens is that there is a process–they must furnish us with details of the injury, and then we also make a decision. First of all, Coventry sent us scans for Brandon Thomas-Asante, who played 62 minutes. So the medical department had a meeting with the technical team, and the decision was that we excuse him from the game,” he explained.
In the case of Inaki Williams, his club Athletic Bilbao said the forward had played the full match but was in pain towards the end.
“Even though Inaki played the entire duration of their match, they also notified us that he actually played through pain in the last 20 minutes,” Asante Twum added.
With both players unavailable, Ghana called up Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer of Hamburg SV as a late replacement. He arrived in Vienna on Monday night and has since joined training.
Ghana will face Austria on Friday, 27 March, before playing Germany in Stuttgart three days later as part of preparations for upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
By: Pascal Amoah
