‘Our missing players are more important’ – Gambia coach fires shot at Ghana

Assistant coach Abdul Jammeh of The Gambia dismissed the impact of Ghana’s numerous player absences ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Accra. Ghana’s squad will be missing captain Jordan Ayew, vice-captains Alexander Djiku and Thomas Partey, as well as forwards Mohammed Kudus and Antoine Semenyo. Ghanian head coach Carlos Queiroz urged fans to rally behind the available players for the match, but Jammeh maintained that the loss of key Gambian players is far more consequential.

He pointed out that The Gambia has seen five players, who have scored a combined 24 goals for the national team in recent months, fail to play. Jammeh emphasized that these absent players carry more significance than the missing Ghanaian players. “We have missed five players who have scored 24 goals for us over the past few months.

Our absentees are more important than the Black Stars players who are missing,” Jammeh stated. Currently, Ghana leads Group C after a 2-0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in their opener, whereas The Gambia claimed a 2-1 victory over Somalia. To salvage their qualification hopes and avoid another challenging start to the AFCON qualifiers, the Black Stars will need a positive outcome at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday.