‘Our missing players are more important’ – Gambia coach fires shot at Ghana

The Gambia assistant coach Abdul Jammeh has played down the impact of Ghana’s long list of absentees ahead of Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Accra. The Black Stars will be without captain Jordan Ayew, vice-captains Alexander Djiku and Thomas Partey, as well as forwards Mohammed Kudus and Antoine Semenyo.

While Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz has called on fans to support the players available to face The Gambia, Jammeh insists the absence of Ghana’s key players does not compare to the impact of the players missing from the Scorpions squad.

Jammeh claims The Gambia have lost five players who have scored 24 goals for the national team in recent months and believes their absences are more significant than those of Ghana’s unavailable players. “We have missed five players who have scored 24 goals for us over the past few months. Our absentees are more important than the Black Stars players who are missing,” Jammeh said.

Ghana currently sit bottom of Group C after losing 2-0 to Côte d’Ivoire in their opening fixture, while The Gambia beat Somalia 2-1. The Black Stars therefore need a positive result at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday to revive their qualification hopes and avoid another difficult start to an AFCON qualifying campaign.