Football
ESPN staff 9y

Ghana leave out Michael Essien, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Sulley Muntari

New Ghana boss Avram Grant has named his provisional 31-man squad for the African Nations Cup, and Michael Essien, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari have all missed out.

AC Milan midfielder Essien, 32, had been expected to make the squad but Grant, who managed the player at Chelsea, has opted against taking him to Equatorial Guinea for the tournament, which runs from Jan. 17 to Feb. 8.

Schalke's Boateng and Milan's Muntari, who were both handed indefinite suspensions after the 2014 World Cup, were also considered to be in contention after holding talks with Grant, who had said on the Ghana FA website: "Any player that will be proud to wear the national jersey and give all his passion to the team and have the quality, of course, the doors of the Black Stars are open to him."

However, he added that "players that will not be disciplined cannot be in the team," and their failure to apologise for their actions this summer appears to have cost them a place.

Crystal Palace forward Kwesi Appiah, currently on loan at League Two side Cambridge United, is a surprise inclusion after netting six goals in 18 games in the English fourth tier.

New Portland Timbers goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey also failed to make the cut, but Houston Dynamo defender Samuel Inkoom is included as well as Chicago Fire forward David Accam.

Middlesbrough winger Albert Adomah, who has 15 caps for the Black Stars, is also named in the provisional squad.

Grant must reduce his squad to 23 for the tournament.

Provisional Ghana squad

Goalkeepers: Razak Braimah (Mirandes, Spain), Adams Stephen (Aduana Stars), Fatau Dauda (AshGold), Ernest Sowah (Don Bosco, DR Congo)

Defenders: Harrison Afful (Esperance, Tunisia), John Boye (Erciyesspor, Turkey), Jonathan Mensah (Evian, France), Jeffery Schlupp (Leicester City, England), Awal Mohammed (Maritzburg, South Africa), Kwabena Adusei (Mpumalanga Black Aces, South Africa), Baba Rahman (Augsburg, Germany), Gyimah Edwin (Mpumalanga Black Aces, South Africa), Samuel Inkoom (Houston Dynamo, USA), Daniel Amartey, (FC Copenhagen, Denmark)

Midfielders: Rabiu Mohammed (Krasnodar, Russia), Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese, Italy), Afriyie Acquah (Parma, Italy), Solomon Asante (T.P. Mazembe, DR Congo), Christian Atsu (Everton, England), Mubarak Wakaso (Celtic, Scotland), Andre Ayew (Olympique Marseille, France), Alfred Duncan (Sampdoria, Italy), Albert Adomah (Middlesbrough, England), Frank Acheampong (Anderlecht, Belgium), Adu Kofi (Malmo, Sweden), Ibrahim Moro (AIK Stockholm, Sweden)

Strikers: Jordan Ayew (Lorient, France), Abdul-Majeed Waris (Trabzonspor, Turkey), Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain, UAE), Kwesi Appiah (Cambridge United, England), David Accam (Chicago Fire, USA)

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