The Communication Director of the Ghana Football Association, Henry Asante Twum, has described negative reports surrounding the notable absentees from the Black Stars squad.

The Black Stars are in Nagoya, Japan, camping ahead of the forthcoming Kirin Cup against the host country and South Korea.

Speaking on Max FM’s Sports Pack show, the former journalist was unimpressed with the narrative that players such as Thomas Partey, Alexander Djiku, Fatawu Issahaku, Mohammed Kudus, and Jordan Ayew were not interested in playing for Ghana.

According to Mr Asante Twum, the players had injury concerns, which forced them to sit out of the two international friendlies, providing head coach Otto Addo the chance to assess other players in the Black Stars pool.

“These friendly games are aimed at working on something in the Black Stars and among the players. We just want to make use of the best talent for the future,” he spoke to Nana Darkwa Gyasi.

The Black Stars will take on Japan on Friday, November 14, before travelling to Seoul for a tie with South Korea on Tuesday, November 18, 2025.