Andre Dede Ayew’s refusal to accompany the Black Stars to Angola, according to former Ghanaian international Charles Taylor, was not due to an injury.
On March 25, 2023, the Ghana Football Association announced that four players would be unable to accompany the team to Luanda for the second leg of the ongoing 2023 AFCON qualifiers against Angola.
Mohammed Salisu, Alexander Djiku, Dennis Odoi, and Dede Ayew were the players mentioned, along with Andre Ayew, who was mentioned among the injured players, raising concerns about the captain’s unexpected injury.
Charles Taylor has joined the people who believe that there is more to Andre Ayew’s story as he claimed that the Nottingham Forest player was upset for not playing in the first leg at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium hence his decision not to travel for the second leg.
“The injured players who have left the team is good but not entirely because we know what they can do for the team but I’m struggling to believe the excuse for Dede that he is injured because he didn’t even play the game.
I believe there is something there and is not that he is injured.”
“Maybe he was an angle that they didn’t allow him to play the first leg and that is why he has dropped out of the squad.
The medical team has said he is injured but I don’t believe that.
He is angry that he didn’t play and that is why he is not going to Angola,” Charles Taylor said on Angel TV.
He added that Andre Dede Ayew was added to the list of injured players because the technical handlers of the Black Stars wanted to manage the situation.
“Yes, the medical team have said that he is injured but we are in Ghana. They said that because they didn’t want him to receive the backlash from the public.”