Ghana midfielder Mubarak Wakaso has been ‘excused’ from the Black Stars squad to face Zimbabwe due to injury.
Wakaso was among the five players dropped from the provisional 32-man squad for the games. The GFA on Monday said the decision was taken by the technical team headed by coach Milovan Rajevac.
Ghanasoccernet can now report that his exclusion is due to injury. He sustained the injury while on international duty with Ghana last month.
Wakaso got injured in the 1-0 defeat against South Africa in September and despite trying hard to recover, the midfielder is not fit.
Since he is a key member of the team, Wakaso will be missed but Rajevac's side should be fine against Zimbabwe without the China-based midfielder.
The Shenzhen FC player has scored 13 goals in 65 appearances for the Black Stars since his debut in 2012.
Black Stars will take on the Warriors on Saturday, October 9 at the Cape Coast stadium on matchday three of the qualifiers before travelling to Harare three days later for the reverse fixture.
Ghana must win both games to remain in contention to qualify for next year's FIFA World Cup in Qatar.