Black Stars manager Chris Hughton has revealed why he opted to bench captain Andre Ayew in Ghana’s first leg of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Angola at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium yesterday.
The Black Stars struggled yesterday against the Palancas Negras, in a game that seemed to end in a goalless draw but thanks to Antoine Semenyo’s stoppage time goal, Ghana was able to cruise to victory.
But many questions were asked about why coach Chris Hughton left the captain out of the starting line.
Speaking in his post-match press conference yesterday, Mr Hughton explained that Dede’s exclusion was his choice.
“This is the choice you have as a head coach. We know the quality that Andre has but we also know the quality that you would like to think that the squad have. This is the reason why they are in the squad, and this is the reason why the squad is being announced and some didn’t make the squad.
“So these are very difficult decisions for me, certainly nothing to read into that. He is, has been and is still a very good player it was just my choice today,” he said.