The Black Stars gaffer has shed light on why the Porcupine Warriors skipper and other four players were left out of the game against the Warriors
Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac has explained his reasons behind the shocking decision to drop Asante Kotoko captain Abdul Ganiu Ismail ahead of the Black Stars game against Zimbabwe played at the Cape Coast Sports on Saturday.
Ganiu together with Spezia Calcio midfielder Emmanuel Gyasi, Brentford winger Tariqe Fosu and Joseph Alfred Duncan were dropped from the squad but no reasons were allocated.
After Ghana defeated Zimbabwe 3-1 on Saturday, Milovan took the opportunity to explain the rational behind their drop.
“He [Ganiu] is not injured. It is just a situation we had and we needed to excuse few players as we could only register 23 players for the match and we needed to invite more players because of the COVID-19 protocols,” Milovan said.
“They should be proud but it is always a tough decision to choose somebody you think is more appropriate for some games. It was a coach’s decision. It doesn’t mean they are not in contention for the next match. They are with us and part of the team,” he added.
Ganiu is currently with his Asante Kotoko teammates in Dubai for a pre-season tour in the Gulf region ahead of the start of the 2021/22 Ghana Premier League season.
Kotoko are expected to spend two weeks and return on October 22. They will open their campaign with an away trip to Dawu to face Dreams FC on October 29 before they host Bechem United at home at Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
