Kamaldeen Sulemana, Ransford Yeboah drop out of Black Meteors squad for U23 AFCON

Kamaldeen Suleman, Ernest Nuamah, and Ransford Yeboah Königsdörffer were members of the Black Stars team who played against Madagascar in the AFCON qualifiers and were expected to join the Black Meteors after the match on Sunday.

However, reports coming in suggest that the Southampton winger and Hannover player have decided not to take part in the U23 AFCON which commences on Saturday, June 24, in Morocco.

Ernest Nuamah who played a role in the Black Meteors qualification to the tournament is the only player from the Black Stars' recent squad who will be joining the team in Morocco on Wednesday for the tournament.

All three players of the Black Stars were named in Ibrahim Tanko’s squad and were expected to join the team after the Black Stars' game against Madagascar.

Nordsjaelland’s Ernest Nuamah was a second-half substitute when he replaced Kamaldeen while Ransford was an unused substitute in Ghana's stalemate against Madagascar.

Coach Ibrahim Tanko’s side are currently on a training tour in Cairo, Egypt preparing for the 2023 Total Energies U23 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be played in Morocco from Saturday, June 24 to Saturday, July 8.

The Black Meteors drew 1-1 with the current holders of the U-23 AFCON trophy Egypt in a friendly match on Thursday, June 15 at the Alexandria Stadium.

Tanko was hoping to augment his squad with the Black Stars players who are qualified and experienced.

The Black Meteors will kick off their campaign against Congo on Sunday, June 25, before playing hosts Morocco on Tuesday, June 27 and then Guinea on Friday, June 30.

The U-23 AFCON will serve as qualifiers for the next Olympics in Paris, France where the top three teams from the competition will automatically qualify for the Olympics.

JNA/FNOQ