'Cancel the matches' - Heartbreak for Ghanaians as PL forward, 7 others pull out of Black Stars

Ghana's hopes for a successful AFCONQ2025 campaign have taken a significant blow as eight players, including Premier League star Antoine Semenyo, have withdrawn from the national team ahead of crucial qualifying matches against Angola and Niger Republic.

The Ghana Football Association confirmed the withdrawals through a social media post, citing "various reasons" for the players' absence.

Leading the list of withdrawals is Bournemouth's Semenyo, who is nursing a patella tendon injury due to an overload of games.

He is joined by several other notable players: Inaki Williams (LaLiga), who is sidelined with a hamstring injury; Tariq Lamptey, suffering from aggravated calf discomfort; Jonas Adjetey, who experienced a setback in his recovery.

Jerome Opoku, dealing with chronic back pain; Alexander Djiku, who has aggravated an existing hamstring issue; and Ibrahim Osman, who picked up a hamstring injury in his last club outing. Additionally, winger Joseph Paintsil withdrew for personal reasons.

The news has sparked outrage among Ghanaians, many of whom have taken to social media to express their frustration.

Comments ranged from calls for the Football Association to cancel the upcoming matches to criticisms of the players' commitment.

One fan remarked, "Good news. They made the right decision. Kurt Okraku should put on his boots and go play," while another lamented, "Ghana is falling apart.. Those players shall never be called."

The situation has left fans disheartened as Ghana struggles to secure their place in the upcoming tournament.

With these significant withdrawals, there are growing concerns about the team's ability to perform against Angola and Niger, especially given the current state of their qualification campaign.

The Black Stars are on the brink of missing out of next year’s competition in Morocco after picking just two points from four matches so far.

With the massive withdrawals, they will need to regroup quickly and find a way to overcome these challenges if they hope to keep their AFCONQ2025 dreams alive.