Neil Armstrong-Mortagbe, the head of Public Relations & Strategy at the Ghana Football Association (GFA), has called on Ghanaians to respect Otto Addo’s decision to exclude Andre Ayew from the Black Stars squad. The Ghanaian coach left the team captain out of the 26-man roster for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR).

Ayew’s omission has raised concerns among fans, especially given his strong performance in the French Ligue 1, where he scored five goals in 19 appearances, helping his team avoid relegation.

“The outpouring of concerns by Ghanaians is very well noted by the FA, and I’m sure the coach has also taken note as well about what Ghanaians have said about Dede’s omission, but he has a broad perspective about what he is doing. He knows the players that are potentially available, the players that are on the injury list that would be back. He’s worked with Dede before and he is not a stranger to him,” Armstrong-Mortagbe told Joy Prime.

He further added, “So if he says this time, in these two games this is the stock of players that he needs, I think we just respect his decision and put all our support behind him.”

The Black Stars currently sit fourth in Group I of the CAF World Cup qualifiers, trailing behind Comoros, Mali, and Madagascar. With the team in a precarious position, effective management and unity will be crucial for their qualification campaign.

Ghana will begin their training camp on Thursday and will travel to Bamako, Mali, next week for the match on June 6 before returning to Kumasi to face the Central African Republic.

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