When Otto Addo replaced Chris Hughton in March last year, his main task was to give the team a new technical direction and fix its broken culture.
A year and nine months later, the latter remains unresolved.
One area in which this has manifested is the repeated cases of absenteeism.
It first happened in November 2022 (under the current group of the Black Stars) when late withdrawals forced Ghana to present only 18 players for the Kirin Cup.
Gideon Mensah, Thomas Partey, Salis Abdul Samed, Kamal Deen Sulemana, Elisha Owusu, Joseph Paintsil, and Osman Bukari did not turn up.
Salisu Mohammed, then at Southampton, was not available at the time of the tournament as he was still declining national team invitations.
The idea that Ghana could not assemble more than 18 players for a tournament was crazy. There had to be consequences.
The axe fell, but not on everyone.
Joseph Paintsil, who did not turn up for personal reasons, was dropped from the World Cup squad.
The others, who had fitness concerns, were let off the hook.
It was a watershed moment for all the wrong reasons.
It was the moment the current group of Black Stars found a way out of avoiding national duties without punishment.
Like the shark that had its first taste of blood, nothing was ever sweeter.
The new generation of Black Stars saw an opportunity, and they took it.
All a player has to do is inform the GFA that they are being rested to avoid burnout, and they will be exempt from retribution.
Since then, that alibi has been milked for all its worth.
Last year, Antoine Semenyo withdrew from Otto Addo’s 25-man squad that faced Angola and Niger in AFCON Qualifiers. The GFA statement said he “was nursing an injury of the patella tendon due to an overload of games.”
Three days later, Semenyo told UK-based SkySports that “I just relaxed the body really. I went away to Iberia to take the time out to relax, rest the body from all the tough games, from all the running around, and just get some downtime for myself. Body feels fresh and ready to go again.”
They were important matches, but Semenyo, with the blessing of the GFA, chose to, in his own words, “get some downtime.”
Eventually, Ghana did not qualify for the African Cup of Nations in Morocco after finishing bottom of a group containing Sudan, Niger, and Angola.
In June, Thomas Partey, Mohammed Kudus, Mohammed Salisu, and Alexander Djiku were all excused from the Unity Cup.
This month, Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, Mohammed Kudus, Joseph Painstil, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, and Alexander Djiku, did not make the squad for the Kirin Cup.
Each, with a uniquely believable story of this injury or that.
The effect on the team was predictable; a listless, soulless display in a 2-0 loss to Japan.
Since the defeat, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, who was presumably excused to rest, was seen partying hard at Tidal Rave, a beach festival in Accra.
Ghana Black Stars footballer Issahaku Fatawu pulls up at Tidal Rave Festival 2025, happening live at La Palm Beach Hotel. pic.twitter.com/IKdL43EXAt
— WithAlvin (@withAlvin__) November 15, 2025
Life of the party! Fatawu Issahaku arrives at the Labadi Beach Hotel for last Saturday’s Tidal Rave
Fatawu was reckless and irresponsible.
He is young, yes, but youthfulness does not excuse anyone from the character expected of a Black Stars player.
Fatawu ought to find a confluence for his personal liberties and the limitations being a Black Stars player imposes on him.
As disappointing as his conduct was, Fatawu only profited from a loose system.
Hajia4Real and Issahaku Fatawu at the 2025 Tidal Rave in Accra pic.twitter.com/Ox6BM8sXOF
— Blog Frequency (@BlogFrequency) November 16, 2025
Night owl: Fatawu Issahaku parties with socialite, Hajia 4 Real
It does not take a lot to be excused from national duties these days.
Make no mistake, genuine cases of injuries cannot be disregarded, but the repeated cases of absenteeism is worrying.
More importantly, there appears to be a willingness to give time off to players who are fit enough to travel with the team and contribute.
For a team that is still struggling with consistency and an identity that is worrying.
Since the turn of the year, Ghana’s fortunes have improved, but even that requires context. It has been more of results/functionality and not necessarily performances that give a sense of where this team is going and inspire hope for the future.
This window’s absenteeism hurts more when you consider the fact that Ghana will not be in Morocco for AFCON 2025. That means the Black Stars will not play again until March 2026, and the three friendlies before the World Cup in May/June.
So this window should have been treated with all seriousness to take a step closer to cohesiveness and team building.
Instead, Otto Addo was forced to settle on a backline that had never played together before and one he will never use in a competitive game. The midfield and attack were reduced to pointless experiments, featuring combinations that will not be seen in any competitive game.
In the end, there was next to no value from the friendly, and there is no indication that Tuesday’s contest against South Korea will be any different. The squad has been further depleted by Antoine Semenyo and Salisu Mohammed’s late withdrawals.
Ultimately, this will end up being a wasted window.
In no time, we will all, willy-nilly, count the cost of this culture.
Before then, however, the players need to rethink this treacherous profiting from the remnants of this broken system in the Black Stars.
Michael Essien is as accomplished as they come, but conducts like Fatawu’s is why he inspires little affection among Ghanaians.
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