Antoine Semenyo’s leg is swollen – Kurt Okraku explains Ghana withdrawal – Ghana Latest Football News, Live Scores, Results

Ghana Football Association President Kurt Okraku has explained the circumstances surrounding Antoine Semenyo’s withdrawal from the Black Stars squad ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Semenyo was initially named in Carlos Queiroz’s squad but withdrew as he continues to recover from a leg injury.

According to Okraku, the Manchester City forward and the coach discussed the situation, with Semenyo willing to return to Ghana for further medical assessment if required.

“Antoine [Semenyo] and the coach spoke, and he told the coach, ‘If you need me, I will come down for the medical team to re-examine me. But the truth is that my leg is swollen, and we need to treat it,’” Okraku said on Asempa FM.

Okraku said the decision was ultimately based on allowing Semenyo to continue his recovery rather than requiring him to travel to Ghana for another assessment when he was unlikely to be available for the matches.

“As a leader, if you want to know your players, and in this particular case, we know the players and how honest they are when it comes to situations like this, you’d have to ask yourself whether you’d allow Antoine to continue with his recovery and be ready for Man City and for Ghana during the next window, or have Antoine fly down to Ghana to undergo an MRI and then ask him to go back because he can’t play. His leg is swollen,” he added.

Semenyo’s absence is a blow to Ghana ahead of Thursday’s opening AFCON qualifier against Cote d’Ivoire in Bouake.

The Black Stars will also host The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on September 27.