Asamoah Gyan backs Otto Addo’s decision to exclude Andre Ayew

Asamoah Gyan says coach Otto Addo’s decision not to call up Andre Ayew for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers must be respected.

According to the former Ghana captain, Ayew has done his best for the Black Stars, but the coach’s decision is final.

Ayew was notably absent when Addo announced his squad on Wednesday. The former Dortmund assistant coach explained that he had a long conversation with the Black Stars captain about his exclusion.

Ayew ended the recently concluded season on a high note, scoring a couple of goals as Le Havre avoided relegation, so he was expected to be invited for the qualifying matches against Mali and the Central African Republic.

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“For me, Andre has done so much for Ghana. He started way back in 2007, and he has been consistent in the national team. He is the most capped player,” Gyan said on Joy FM.

“I think the coach has made his decision. Personally, I played with Andre, and he has done everything for Ghana, but this is the situation whereby we have to move on. The coach has made his decision.”

Gyan explained that he wouldn’t be happy if he were in Ayew’s position. “If it was me, I wouldn’t be happy, which is a normal thing, but at the end of the day, the coach has made the decision, so we have to just support. We shouldn’t forget Andre is already a legend,” he added.

Ghana will play Mali on June 6 and then take on the Central African Republic four days later. Following a shaky start to their World Cup qualifying campaign, the Black Stars hope to bounce back and record victories after securing only one win and suffering one loss in their initial two matches in Group I.

Ghana opened the campaign with a 1-0 win over Madagascar in Kumasi before losing by the same margin to Comoros in Moroni.