The Ghana Football Association has clarified the reasons behind the withdrawal of Iñaki Williams and Brandon Thomas-Asante from the Ghana national football team squad ahead of upcoming international friendlies.

Communications Director Henry Asante Twum said the decision was reached through a joint process involving both the medical and technical teams after concerns were raised by the players’ clubs.

Speaking to Citi Sports, Asante Twum explained that the situation followed standard procedure, with clubs required to notify national teams of any injury issues after players feature in their final matches before international duty.

“So this is normal. Once the squad is made, the players normally have one game to play before they move to come. Brandon and Inaki, immediately after they played their games on Sunday, their clubs contacted the medical department of the team and notified us with possible withdrawals,” he said.

Coventry City provided medical scans for Thomas-Asante after he was forced off in their win over Swansea City, while Athletic Bilbao reported that Williams had played through pain during the closing stages of his match.

‎“Normally there is a process, they must furnish us with details of the injury, and then we also make a decision,” Asante Twum added.

With both forwards ruled out, Ransford Yeboah Königsdörffer has been drafted in as a late replacement. The Hamburg forward has since joined the squad in Vienna and begun training.

Ghana are set to face the Austria national football team on 27 March before travelling to Stuttgart to take on the Germany national football team three days later.

The matches form part of preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as the Black Stars look to fine-tune their squad ahead of the competition.