Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz has explained the decision to protect Mohammed Kudus after the Tottenham Hotspur forward withdrew from Ghana’s squad ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Kudus was initially named in Queiroz’s 24-man squad for Ghana’s upcoming fixtures against Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia after returning from a lengthy injury layoff that ruled him out of the Black Stars’ 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.
However, the 26-year-old subsequently withdrew from the squad as he continues his recovery and works towards regaining full fitness.
Queiroz explained that the decision was influenced by updates received from Tottenham regarding the player’s condition, with the Ghana technical team ultimately opting to prioritise Kudus’ recovery.
“As national team coaches, we can’t control the decision of club coaches. It looked like Kudus was moving in the right direction with regard to his fitness, but later on the information we got did not progress in the direction we expected,” Queiroz said.
“So the final decision was to protect Kudus for his progress to continue.”
Kudus recently returned to competitive action for Tottenham following his injury layoff, featuring against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup before making an appearance against Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Following his withdrawal, Queiroz has invited Mohammed Fuseini as an additional attacking option as Ghana begin their campaign to qualify for the 2027 AFCON.
Kudus’ absence means the Black Stars will be without one of their key attacking players when they face Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké on Thursday.
Ghana will then return home to host The Gambia on September 29 before travelling to Morocco for an international friendly against the Atlas Lions on October 4.
