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Baidoo: Ayew decision right

Ayew: Topic of debate

Ayew: Topic of debate

Former Ghana midfielder Stephen Baidoo says coach Kwesi Appiah made the right decision in dropping Andre Ayew from the Black Stars' AFCON 2013 squad.

Ayew suffered a hamstring injury last week while training with Marseille and subsequently failed to meet the deadline for Ghana's pre-tournament camp, prompting Appiah to leave the midfield playmaker out of the squad.

Appiah's decision has received a lot of criticism, but Baidoo believes the coach has made the correct call.

Baidoo told Accra-based Happy FM: "All players must conform to the rules irrespective of who they think they are. I totally agree and support the decision of the coach."

"I don't think anyone can question the commitment of the player to the national course. But it's also important we understand that discipline is key to achieving success."

He continued: "If all the players decided to go to camp at their own appointed time, I am not sure it will augur well for us.

"It was important he (coach Appiah) made a bold statement that he was the man in charge and that no player can be allowed to call the shots.

"If Andre had been dropped because of form, then some of us would have been very angry but that is not the issue.

Ayew's axing, together with Yahya Mohammed's injury, means that Appiah must now drop just one player from his 24 man squad who are preparing for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

He has until midnight on Wednesday to drop the unlucky individual.

Of the squad, seven are central defenders and it's possible that the chop could happen in this area.

The Black Stars are in camp in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and will play all their matches in Port Elizabeth at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

In Group B they will face Congo DR, Mali and Niger on the 20th, 24th and 28th of January.

Posted: 08/01/13 16:20

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