Henry Asante Twum, the Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), has explained the absence of Thomas Partey from the Black Stars camp.
The Arsenal midfielder will miss the upcoming doubleheader against Sudan in the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, with Michael Baidoo receiving his first call-up as his replacement.
On Monday, the GFA announced that Partey would not participate in the matches due to a medical issue.
However, during an interview with Asempa FM as monitored by, Asante Twum clarified that Partey's absence is due to an illness, although he did not specify the exact nature of the condition.
“Thomas Partey isn’t injured but rather illness. He is sick and not injured as speculations say. It isn’t malaria and I can’t disclose the kind of illness he is suffering from at the moment.
“It is not everything we can put in the public domain and of course, if it is not an illness that everyone [around] him knows, I wouldn’t say he is sick. I can’t, however, bring out his medical record," he added.
Meanwhile, the Black Stars commenced their first training session on Monday at the Accra Sports Stadium, featuring 11 players, with an additional eight players joining the camp ahead of the second training session.
The first match of the doubleheader is scheduled for Thursday, October 10, at the Accra Sports Stadium, followed by the return leg on October 14 at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Libya.
Currently, Ghana is in third place in Group F, having secured one point after a 1-0 loss to Angola in their opening match and a 1-1 draw with Niger.
