2025 AFCONQ: Big blow as Thomas Partey, Paintsil and two others ruled out of Ghana v Sudan games

The Black Stars have been dealt a significant setback ahead of their crucial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, with four key players, including Thomas Partey, ruled out of the upcoming matches against Sudan.

In a statement released on Monday evening, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) confirmed that Partey, Arsenal’s midfielder, is battling health concerns and will undergo further medical examinations, leaving him unavailable for the vital qualifiers. Partey, who captained the Black Stars in their earlier qualifiers against Angola and Niger, is joined on the injury list by Joseph Paintsil, Osman Ibrahim, and Kingsley Schindler.

The GFA’s statement provided updates on the players’ conditions:

• Thomas Partey: The midfielder is sidelined due to ongoing medical issues, with further tests planned by his club, Arsenal, in the coming days.
• Joseph Paintsil: Paintsil sustained hamstring discomfort during his last match on Saturday, October 5, and will undergo an MRI on Monday, October 7, ruling him out of the upcoming games.
• Osman Ibrahim: The forward suffered a calf injury in his last match, forcing his substitution in the 65th minute. His club has communicated his unavailability to the GFA.
• Kingsley Schindler: Schindler is also unavailable due to a medical emergency, for which he is receiving treatment.

To cover for the injured players, the GFA has called up Michael Baidoo, Abu Francis, Jonas Adjetey, and Ibrahim Sadick to bolster the squad ahead of the qualifiers.

The Black Stars kicked off their first training session on Monday at the Accra Sports Stadium with 11 players present. The remaining squad members are expected to join by Monday evening, with full preparations resuming on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ghana will face Sudan in the first leg of the qualifiers on Thursday, October 10, at the Accra Sports Stadium, before traveling to Libya for the return leg at the Martyrs of February Stadium on October 14.

With Ghana’s last two matches ending in a 1-0 loss to Angola and a 1-1 draw against Niger, coach Otto Addo and his team will be eager to secure maximum points from these fixtures to bolster their AFCON qualification hopes.