AFCON 2023: Hughton drops Partey as Kudus injury casts shadow over Ghana’s AFCON hopes

Ghana coach Chris Hughton has announced the 27-man squad list for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023) in Côte d’Ivoire.

Captain André Ayew will be making his eighth AFCON appearance, equaling the tournament record held by Cameroon’s Rigobert Song and Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan.

Arsenal’s Thomas Partey misses out due to injury, along with PAOK’s Baba Rahman and Leicester City’s Fatawu Issahaku.

In addition to Partey’s absence due to injury, Hughton also conveyed that in-form West Ham midfielder, Mohammed Kudus is currently managing a ‘minor’ injury that requires treatment before he can join the rest of the Ghana team.

“Hopefully, he will be able to join us in the coming days,” said the coach.

Asante Kotoko’s Richmond Lamptey and Medeama’s duo of Hamidu Fatawu and Jonathan Sowah complete the list as the only three players from the Ghana Premier League in the final squad.

🚨Our #BlackStars for the AFCON 👊🏾

🤵‍♂️ Head Coach Chris Hughton has selected 27 players for the upcoming TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d'Ivoire 🇬🇭⚽️ #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/Fr1RTs4UPw

— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) January 1, 2024

Ghana will play Namibia in an international friendly at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Monday, January 8, 2024, as part of the buildup to the tournament in Cote D’Ivoire.

Ghana AFCON 2023 squad:

• Goalkeepers:
  Lawrence Ati Zigi
  Richard Ofori
  Jojo Wollacott
• Defenders:
  Alidu Seidu
  Dennis Odoi
  Kingsley Schindler
  Gideon Mensah
  Hamid Abdul Fatawu
  Daniel Amartey
  Nich Opoku
  Alexander Djiku
  Mohammed Salisu
• Midfielders:
  Samed Salis
  Baba Iddrisu
  Majeed Ashimeru
  Elisha Owusu
  Richmond Lamptey
  Mohammed Kudus
  Andre Ayew
  Ransford Konigsdorffer
  Osman Bukari
  Joseph Paintsil
  Jordan Ayew
  Ernest Nuamah
• Forwards:
  Iñaki Williams
  Antoine Semenyo
  Jonathan Sowah