Carlos Queiroz has revealed the extent of Ghana’s injury problems after the Black Stars suffered a damaging 4-2 defeat to The Gambia in their 2027 AFCON qualifier.
The Ghana coach disclosed after Tuesday’s match that as many as 24 players from the national A team were unavailable, leaving him with limited options ahead of the crucial Group C fixture.
Queiroz cited injuries to key players including Alexander Djiku, Antoine Semenyo, Mumin and Marvin as part of the difficulties confronting the team.
He explained that the constant changes to the squad have affected Ghana’s ability to build consistency, particularly in defence.
“It can only be a step back in the performance of the team when we are forced to change players every camp,” he said.
The Black Stars have conceded six goals in their opening two qualifiers after losing 2-0 to Côte d’Ivoire before Tuesday’s collapse against The Gambia.
Queiroz said the situation was particularly challenging because several players available for the game were also not fit enough to play the full 90 minutes.
He pointed to players such as Kojo Peprah Oppong, Kwasi Sibo and Ibrahim Sulemana, whose minutes had to be managed during the match.
The coach, however, refused to use the injury situation as an excuse for the defeat and instead accepted responsibility for the result.
“Twenty-four players out is not a normal situation. But again, this is not an excuse,” he said.
