Some Ghanaians have welcomed the decision to drop André Dede Ayew from Ghana’s squad to face Mali and the Central African Republic in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Head coach of the Black Stars, Otto Addo, who named his squad without the Le Havre player, explained the rationale behind his decision to leave out the captain from his squad.

"I had a long talk with André and gave him the reasons why he is not in the squad. I talk to players directly and don't like to disclose information about our discussions. This is the decision we took, and it's not like he necessarily agreed, but I still have great respect for him," he said.

Some Ghanaians who spoke to GhanaWeb.com after the press conference expressed satisfaction with Dede Ayew’s snub from the Black Stars.

Reacting to Dede Ayew’s exclusion, one individual said, "It’s the right call because looking at the age profile of the team, Dede is 34 years old and he is not like before. In two years, when the World Cup comes around, he will be 36 years old. So if Otto Addo is building a team for the future, it's about time he phases out these players gradually."

Another also said, "He has ended his era; he started playing in 2008 and now we are in 2024, so he has played for 16 years. He is a warhorse. In our match against Cape Verde, the commentator said he has played for so long. All his mates are gone."

André Dede Ayew has made 120 caps for the Ghana national team and scored 24 goals.

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