{"id":51234,"date":"2023-03-29T14:58:28","date_gmt":"2023-03-29T14:58:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/03\/29\/andre-ayew-opted-out-of-the-angola-trip-because-he-was-benched\/"},"modified":"2023-03-29T14:58:28","modified_gmt":"2023-03-29T14:58:28","slug":"andre-ayew-opted-out-of-the-angola-trip-because-he-was-benched","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/03\/29\/andre-ayew-opted-out-of-the-angola-trip-because-he-was-benched\/","title":{"rendered":"Andre Ayew opted out of the Angola trip because he was benched"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Andre
Andre Ayew<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Hearts of Oak legend,\u00a0Charles Taylor, has alleged that\u00a0Andre Ayew did not travel with the Black Stars squad to Angola for the return leg in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] qualifiers\u00a0because he was benched in the first leg in Kumasi.<\/p>\n

Ghana hosted Angola in the first leg of the qualifier and recorded a 1-0 win with Antoine Semenyo scoring in the 96th minute to secure the three points.<\/p>\n

Andre Ayew, who is the captain of the side, was not part of the squad for the game but after the game, head coach, Chris Hughton, stated emphatically that leaving Andre out of the squad was his decision.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the return game in Luanda, the Ghana Football Association confirmed that the 31-year-old has suffered an injury and has been ruled out of the game.<\/p>\n

Taylor is, however, of the view that the skipper not travelling with the squad was due to his omission in the first leg and not an injury.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe injured players who have left the team is good for the team but not entirely because we know what they can do for the team but I\u2019m struggling to believe the excuse for Dede that he is injured because he didn\u2019t even play the game I believe there is something there and it\u2019s not that he is injured,\u201d he told Angel TV.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe he was angry they did not let him play the first leg and that\u2019s why he was dropped out of the squad the medical team said he is injured but I don\u2019t believe that. He was angry he did not play that\u2019s why he is not going to Angola,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Ghana, however, held Angola to a 1-1 drawn game at the\u00a0Est\u00e1dio 11 de Novembro.<\/p>\n

The Stars remain at the top of the group with eight points, followed by Central African Republic, who moved to second after back-to-back wins over Madagascar. Angola dropped to third with five points, while Madagascar are out of the race for qualification.<\/p>\n

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