Defender Andy Kyere Yiadom is expected to join up with the Ghana senior national team squad for the upcoming June fixtures.
The right-back was a surprise omission when coach Otto Addo’s squad was released by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) on Thursday.
Yiadom – who just won the player of the season at English Championship side Reading FC – was initially not listed in the 33-man squad.
The list – which has now been updated – had only one recognized right-back in Club Brugge’s Denis Odoi who is just earning his second call-up.
Andy Yiadom, 30, has played a significant role in the recent Black Stars set-up – featuring in 10 of the side’s last 14 games since June 2021.
His inclusion thus shores up the squad size to 34 for the 4-game run in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers and the 2022 Kirin Cup Soccer tournament in Japan between June 1 and 14.
Players report to camp
As many as 26 players had reported to the team’s base – Alisa Hotel – in Accra as of Saturday morning.
Welcome back #BlackStars ???#BringBackTheLove | #AFCON2023Q pic.twitter.com/wFX6aV8hvm
— Black Stars ?? (@GhanaBlackstars) May 28, 2022
Aside from Yiadom, these seven players – Richard Ofori, Daniel Amartey, Jonathan Mensah, Daniel-Kofi Kyereh, Christopher Antwi-Adjei, Yaw Yeboah and Braydon Manu – were yet to report to camp.
In the Building! ? @AyewAndre & @jordan_ayew9 #BlackStars || #BringBackTheLove || #AFCON2023Q pic.twitter.com/QrEQXuKC0q
— Black Stars ?? (@GhanaBlackstars) May 28, 2022
The team is expected to head for Cape Coast where they will lodge at the 3-star Ridge Royal Hotel ahead of their opening Group E game in the 2023 Afcon qualifiers against Madagascar on Wednesday, June 1.
The Black Stars will hold their first training session at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium later in the afternoon.
Black Stars match schedule
Afcon 2023 Qualifiers:
- Ghana vs Madagascar – June 1 – 19:00 GMT
- Central African Republic vs Ghana – June 5 – 13:00 GMT
Kirin Cup Soccer:
- Japan vs Ghana – June 10 – 09:55 GMT
- Chile or Tunisia vs Ghana U-20 – June 14 – 06:15 GMT
Updated Black Stars squad (34):
Goalkeepers (4):
Joseph Wollacott (Swindon Town), Abdul Manaf Nurudeen (KAS Eupen), Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St Gallen), Richard Ofori (Orlando Pirates)
Defenders (9):
Andy Yiadom (Reading FC), Denis Odoi (FC Brugge), Alidu Seidu (Clermont Foot), Gideon Mensah (FC Bordeaux), Baba Abdul Rahman (FC Reading), Abdul Mumin (Vitoria Guimaraes), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City), Joseph Aidoo (Celta Vigo), Jonathan Mensah (Columbus Crew)
Midfielders (6):
Baba Iddrisu (RCD Mallorca), Edmund Addo (FC Sheriff), Mohammed Kudus (Ajax), Elisha Owusu (KAA Gent), Mubarak Wakaso (Shenzhen FC), Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (FC St. Pauli)
Wingers (8):
Augustine Okrah (Bechem United), Andre Ayew (Al Sadd SC), Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Sporting CP), Osman Bukari (FC Nantes), Joseph Paintsil (KRC Genk), Yaw Yeboah (Columbus Crew), Christopher Antwi-Adjei (VFL Bochum), Kamaldeen Sulamana (Stade Rennais)
Strikers (7):
Daniel Ariyie Barnieh (Hearts of Oak), Antoine Semenyo (Bristol City), Felix Afena-Gyan (AS Roma), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Kwasi Okyere Wriedt (Holstein Kiel), Benjamin Tetteh (Yeni Malatyaspor), Braydon Manu (SV Darmstadt)
