2027 AFCON Qualifier: Carlos Queiroz Explains Reason Mohammed Kudus’ Withdrawal From Ghana Squad

Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz has explained why Mohammed Kudus was allowed to withdraw from the Black Stars squad ahead of their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia.

Kudus was initially included in Queiroz’s 24-man squad for the September international window but opted out as he continues his recovery and works towards regaining full fitness and form with Tottenham Hotspur.

Queiroz said he initially selected the midfielder after closely monitoring his recovery and return to competitive football. However, further observations and discussions with the player led to the decision that Kudus needed more time before returning to international duty.

Speaking during his first press conference since his reappointment, Queiroz explained the decision.

“On the course of our decisions we have the club games and we national team coaches, we can’t control the decisions of coaches [in clubs]. In the course of our observations and conversations, it looked like Kudus was moving in the right direction and I had to make the decisions with the matches.”

“We have to make decisions based on the information we have in our hands,” Queiroz said.

“I was able to scout and make the right observations but later on other information about the stage of the player after he played about 70 minutes, unfortunately he was not progressing in the direction we expect,” Queiroz said.

“So in our final conversation with Kudus we realized the best decision is to protect his progress,” he added.