Ghana were forced to continue their U20 Africa Cup of Nations campaign without rising star Jerry Afriyie, after the striker was recalled by his Spanish club CD Lugo during the group stage of the tournament in Egypt.
The 18-year-old forward was absent from Ghana’s narrow 1-0 win over the Central African Republic on Thursday—a victory that secured the Black Satellites a place in the quarter-finals.
Afriyie, who had made a notable impact earlier in the tournament with an assist in Ghana’s matchday two victory over reigning champions Senegal, was a surprise omission from the squad.
Shortly before kick-off, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) confirmed the reason behind his absence.
“The Ghana Football Association (GFA) wishes to officially announce the departure of Jerry Afriyie from the Black Satellites camp to return to his club in Spain,” read an official statement published on the federation’s website.
The recall stems from a pre-existing agreement between CD Lugo and the GFA, given that the U20 AFCON falls outside the designated FIFA international window.
This means clubs are under no obligation to release their players for the competition.
“This move is in line with a prior agreement between the GFA and the player’s club, which had indicated that they would request his return after Ghana’s first two matches in the ongoing tournament,” the statement continued.
📸 Jerry Afriyie 🌟#BlackSatellites | #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 pic.twitter.com/RrfachVN8J
— 🇬🇭 Ghana Football Association (@ghanafaofficial) May 6, 2025
While the GFA acknowledged its desire to keep Afriyie for the remainder of the competition, it reiterated its commitment to maintaining professional relations with clubs.
“The GFA is determined to honour all agreements with clubs in a spirit of mutual respect, cooperation and professionalism.”
Afriyie is currently on loan at CD Lugo from Saudi side Al-Qadsiah, the club of former Gabon international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
He joined the Saudi outfit in January after emerging from Ghanaian side Thoughts FC and was subsequently loaned to Spain to gain first-team experience.
The young forward’s early departure is a blow to Ghana’s attacking options heading into the knockout stage, but the team will now focus on building momentum without one of its key contributors from the opening rounds.
