The Ghana FA say they are in talks with three English clubs over the release of their Ghanaian players for the Black Stars’ upcoming friendlies against Mexico and USA.
West Ham United, Leicester City and Swansea City have asked the GFA not to travel with Andre Ayew, Daniel Amartey and Jordan Ayew respectively for the matches scheduled for June 28 and July 1.
With the two friendly matches taking players outside the FIFA dates for international matches, the three English sides want their players to rest ahead of the start of grueling pre-season training.
Contrary to claims that the three players have asked to be excused from the friendly duties, the GFA said it is their clubs who have asked the federation not to use the players for the matches.
The clubs want their players excused from the trip in order to take some rest ahead of their English Premier League pre-season schedules and they have the backing of the FIFA law.
The GFA say they are engaging the clubs to get them to release the players to ensure they are available for the Black Stars for the two matches.
“We have received letters from the clubs of Andre Ayew, Jordan Ayew and Daniel Amartey asking us to exclude them for the friendlies against Mexico and USA,” Ghana FA spokesman, Ibrahim Sannie, said when asked about reports that the players opted out of the two matches.
“We are talking and engaging with the English clubs to get them to release or approve of us using the three players for the important friendlies,” he added during Andre Ayew’s coaching clinic with the Black Stars banking partners Unibank on Saturday.
The trio are key to the Black Stars squad as they all played part in Ghana’s 5-0 thumping of Ethiopia in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations last week.
That match played last week in Kumasi was within the FIFA date for international matches.
The games in the USA will be the first friendlies under new Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah following the cancellation of a meeting with Nigeria in London last May.
The Black Stars will face Mexico at the Houston Dynamo Stadium before locking horns with USA three days later at the Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut.
credit: GSN
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