Black Stars Coach, Kwesi Appiah has explained his decision to start Kwadwo Asamoah from the bench in the defeat against the Harambee Stars.

The Inter Milan ace was surprisingly not named in the starting line up despite insisting he was physically ready for the tie.

A move that has cause Ghanaians to wonder especially in the wake of the shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Kenyans.

A Nicholas Opoku first half own goal saw the Black Stars succumb to their first defeat of the series in Group F.

Asamoah had to wait until the 72nd minute to participate in the game after coming on for left back Daniel Opare.

“You see, I don’t play with names, I play with players who could be fit at a particular time. And Kwadwo being on the bench does not mean he is not a good player” Kwesi Appiah is reported to have said after the game.

“He is one of the best players but, under the circumstances, we had to put some players in to start, then he comes on” he added.

By Daraja Mutari