Why I opted out of Black Stars’ AFCON squad – Baba Rahman explains

Black Stars left-back Baba Rahman has explained that his decision to opt out of the 2023 AFCON squad was largely on injuries.

In a lengthy message written on X(formerly Twitter) he explained that he had to take the tough decision to avoid playing though pain.

“I just wanted to say that decision to opt out of the AFCON was solely based on footballing reasons and nothing else.

“Playing for my country will always be the highest point of my career and everytime I have been lucky to wear the shirt I have given my all.

“The last few years I have had to battle injuries and recovery times and I feel that it’s best in the interest of my career and that of the team to only play when I don’t have to think about recovery or pain- that way I can always give my best to the team.

“The life span of a footballer is very short and sometimes we have to make these tough calls for the general interest of the nation we love the most and that of career to enable longevity.

“I would be cheering the team and pushing them on to try win us the AFCON we all desire. But as of now let’s all support anyone the manager picks because the most important thing is Ghana which is bigger than any individual.

“God bless our home land and make us great and strong.”

Baba Rahman was one of the big misses in the Black Stars’ 27-man squad named on Monday, January 1, 2024.

The other misses include Thomas Partey, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, and Tariq Lamptey.