I have no issue with Ayew family – Appiah

Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah has dismissed claims that his decision to overlook Andre and Jordan Ayew ahead of the Fifa World Cup qualifier against Uganda next month is because of hatred for the Ayew family..

The 56-year-old gaffer has announced a 26-man provisional squad to be whittled down to 23, with the Ayew brothers missing out.

The decision has led to several discussions among Ghanaians with some suggesting that the coach’s hatred for the Ayew family influenced his decision.

Sola Ayew, brother of the players’ father Abedi Pele Ayew, has launched a scathing attack at Appiah, insisting that the coach has been harbouring hatred against the family since 1992 after Abedi was made captain of Ghana ahead of him.

But Appiah claims the decision was just to give other players the opportunity to show what they can do.

“This [overlook of the Ayew brothers] has nothing to do with that because there’s no issue [between me and the family],” Appiah told GNA.

“We know the calibre of Andre and Jordan Ayew already and if we want to build a team for the future, then we need to give other players the chance to also prove themselves.

“They are playing well in the Premier League [so I didn’t drop them for lack of form],” he added.

Ghana sit third in Group E with five points, four points behind leaders Egypt.