Black Stars coach, Chris Hughton has explained his decision to bench Asante Kotoko midfielder, Richmond Lamptey in Ghana’s stalemate against Namibia in a Pre-AFCON friendly.

The Black Stars were held by Namibia in the friendly match played at the Baba Yara Stadium as a final preparatory game for the AFCON tournament which kickstarts on January 14, 2024.

Coach Chris Hughton made five substitutions in the game leaving out the Asante Kotoko midfielder.

Speaking after the game, Chris Hughton explained that he left out Lamptey because he wanted a more defensive player on the pitch.

“I had to make changes in the game about which changes I wanted to make and some included Richmond. We know where he plays and I understand the question. He is in the squad for the first time and we are delighted to have him but I have to make these decisions,” Hughton told the Press after the game.

He added, “The same decisions I have to make about Andre coming in or Ashimeru and the time he comes and the effect he can have on the game.

“Probably from a technical point of view, the fact that I brought on Ashimeru, I wanted a more defensive player to stay on the pitch to give us that balance because I knew I would be changing the front two and the two wide players,” the coach said.

The Black Stars will depart Ghana on Wednesday, December 10 ahead of their first match at the AFCON which is on Saturday, December 14.

JNA/EK