IK Sirius midfielder Kingsley 'Strand' Sarfo has been ruled out of Ghana's opening game in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Ethiopia on June 11 at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
The 22-years-old, who has been splendid in the Swedish Allsvenskan this season and winning the Player of the Month of March, was handed his maiden call-up by Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah, naming him in a 30-man squad released last month.
However, after five days of training without him, assistant coach Ibrahim Tanko has confirmed that the midfielder won't be available since he has to choose between Ghana and Sweden after the latter's football association approached the player for a switch of nationality.
"Kingsley Sarfo will not join the team for the Ethiopia this weekend because of issues related to his nationality," Tanko told Nhyira FM.
"Because of this, he will also miss the friendly games against Mexico this month ending and the game against USA on July 1. He needs to settle down and make a decision especially deciding between either playing for Ghana or Sweden on the international stage since I understand both countries have expressed interest in getting his service. He is a good player with a bright future," he added.
The Black Stars continued their training sessions in Kumasi ahead of the game with 25 players on Tuesday, with Chicago Fires midfielder David Accam, who was handed a late call-up, expected to join the group on Wednesday.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)