Ghana Football Association (GFA) Communications Director Henry Asante Twum has outlined the process that led to Iñaki Williams and Brandon Thomas-Asante being ruled out of the Black Stars’ friendlies against Austria and Germany, explaining how the withdrawals were handled.
Speaking to Citi Sports, Asante Twum revealed that both clubs contacted Ghana’s medical department shortly after their respective league matches on Sunday.
“So this is normal. Once the squad is made, the players normally have one game to play before they move to come. So Brandon and Iñaki, immediately after they played their games on Sunday, their clubs contacted the medical department of the team. And then they notified us with possible withdrawals,” he said.
“Normally what happens is that there is a process—they must furnish us with details of the injury, and then we also make a decision.”
Coventry City provided scans for Thomas-Asante, who played 62 minutes in their 3-0 win over Swansea City before being substituted with a knock. The medical department reviewed the findings and met with the technical team.
“The medical department had a meeting with the technical team and the decision was that we excuse him from the game,” Asante Twum explained.
For Williams, who played the full 90 minutes for Athletic Bilbao against Real Betis, the situation was slightly different.
“Even though Iñaki played the entire duration of their match, they also notified us that he actually played through pain in the last 20 minutes.”
With both forwards unavailable, Ghana called up Hamburg forward Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer as a late replacement. He joined the squad in Vienna and has trained with the team ahead of Friday’s friendly.
Ghana face Austria on March 27 before taking on Germany in Stuttgart three days later in crucial World Cup preparation matches.
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