Derek Boateng has called on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to visit Felix Afena-Gyan in Italy if they care about his mental health and wants him to feature for the Black Meteors for the upcoming U-23 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco.
Afena-Gyan had turned down a late invitation to join the Black Meteors ahead of the doubleheader against Algeria.
Ibrahim Tanko, who is the head coach for the side following the qualification revealed that the management of the young attacker declined the call-up after being overlooked for the Black Stars’ squad in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Angola.
Boateng, who has also played for Ghana’s junior and senior teams, believes that the GFA needs to act to address Afena-Gyan’s mental state and show him that he is valued by the national team.
He emphasised the importance of the youngster’s inclusion in the squad if Ghana hopes to win the U23 AFCON tournament in June.
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“If the FA thinks about him and his mental issues, they have to take a plane there and talk to him so that he feels important,” he said.
This under-23 AFCON that they want to go, they will need him if they want to win,” said Boateng. “He needs to feel that we care about him because these are the things we do that make us lose players.”
Afena-Gyan was also left out of the final squad for Ghana’s 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign in Qatar. It remains to be seen whether the GFA will heed Boateng’s advice and take steps to bring the talented forward back into the national team fold.
The Black Meteors after qualifying for the AFCON will hope to have the players available for the tournament as they chance a spot at the 2024 Olympic Games.