Henry Asante Twum clarifies Jonathan Sowah's Black Stars exclusion for friendly matches

Published on: 11 October 2023

Henry Asante Twum, the Head of Communications for the Ghana Football Association, has provided an explanation for Jonathan Sowah's omission from the Black Stars squad for the friendly matches against Mexico and the USA.

The striker garnered attention for his impressive performance in his debut game for Ghana during the 3-1 victory over Liberia, leading to expectations of his inclusion in the squad. However, his Medeama teammate, Hamidu Fatawu, received a call-up while Sowah was not selected by coach Chris Hughton.

Twum shed light on the selection process, stating, "In every call-up, when the coach forms his team, he places one or two players on standby. From the initial list that he submitted, Jonathan was on the list but on standby."

He explained that the standby list allows for adjustments based on factors like injuries, saying, "Normally, they will wait for all the leagues to end during the weekend, and when there is an injury, then another player will be called up."

Both of the upcoming games will be played in the United States, where Medeama are also scheduled to face DC United in a friendly match on October 13.

Twum elaborated on the situation, saying, "What happened is, as I speak to you, Medeama is on their way to Washington. As Ghanaian champions, they are going to play a game. Due to challenges they faced with visa acquisition, the club requested the FA to release Fatawu so they could use him for their friendly game, after which he will return to the Black Stars group."

The Black Stars will take on Mexico on October 14 and, three days later, face the USA.

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