Black Stars defender Gideon Mensah has said that he is not perturbed about eight of his colleagues pulling out from the squad for their games against Niger and Angola in the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

According to him, players are entitled to make decisions that suit them and he would not be quick to judge them based on hearsay and rumors.

Mensah stated that the rest of the squad are focused on preparing for the upcoming matches to secure victory and place the team in a better position.

Speaking to journalists on November 11, 2024, after the first Black Stars training session, the Auxerre defender said the squad are not scared despite the absence of some key players.

"For me, I think, first of all, every player in the national team is very crucial to the team. And then obviously, we have players that we are always looking up to see in the national team, and we have players that are also there to support when other players are not there. It's a big loss for us.

"But also at this time, at the end of the day, we still have a team to cover up. And then I'm not really scared about that. So when one is not there, another person is ready to play for me," he said.

The players who have withdrawn from the squad include Antoine Semenyo, Tariq Lamptey, Inaki Williams, Osman Ibrahim, Jereme Opoku, Alexander Djiku, Jonas Adjetey, and Joseph Paintsil.

It is worth noting that the seven remaining players cited injury problems as the reason for their withdrawal, with only Paintsil citing personal reasons.

This comes as a big blow for the Black Stars as they aim to win against Niger and Angola and hope Sudan lose their remaining matches to secure qualification.

After four matches, Ghana are third in Group F with two points. Sudan are in second place with seven points, while Angola lead with twelve points.

Ghana will play Angola on November 15, 2024, and return to host Niger at the Accra Sports Stadium on November 18, 2024.

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