Thomas Partey vs Uganda Cranes. (Courtesy)
Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey hasn’t not been suspended from international duty, but was instead granted permission to be excused for rest on his own accord.
There had been wide spread reports making rounds in the Ghanaian media on Monday morning that the 27-year-old had been sent away after turning late for international duty.
However, The-SportsNation understands that the Gunners midfielder instead was granted permission to sit out and thus miss international friendlies against Morocco and the Ivory Coast.
Sources have confirmed that Partey asked for permission to be excused, that request being granted by Ghana boss Charles Akonnor.
Instead, the player who was actually sacked was reportedly former Reading graduate and current Brentford man Tariq Fosu.
“Thomas travelled to Cape Coast on Thursday to meet Coach Charles Akonnor over some personal issues,” statement from Ghana Football Association reads.
“After the meeting which lasted for about an hour, the Coach excused him from the trip to Morocco – and asked him to report to camp for the second game against Ivory Coast. As the 1st Deputy Captain of the Black Stars, Thomas later joined his colleagues in training to show solidarity and support before leaving for Accra.
“The Arsenal midfielder will therefore team up with the rest of the squad on Thursday when the team returns from Morocco.”
Partey’s absence from international duty is another lowdown in what has been a hugely frustrating season following his big-money move from Atletico Madrid last summer.
Due to niggling injuries, the midfielder only managed to make 36 appearances in all competitions under Mikel Arteta, just 26 of those being starts.
In all, Partey missed 16 matches in all competitions through injury problems.
Note – This story has been updated with a statement from Ghana Football Association.
