Black Stars coach, Otto Addo
Former Black Stars midfielder Rahim Ayew has lashed out at Black Stars coach Otto Addo over his initial decision to bypass Jordan Ayew in awarding the team’s captaincy role.
Rahim Ayew believes that Jordan Ayew should have been next in line after Dede Ayew was sidelined from the team.
Rahim’s belief stems from his notion that Jordan Ayew is currently the team’s most senior member and should have succeeded his elder brother, Dede Ayew.
“If you are talking about the national team, Dede joined in 2007, Jordan in 2012, and I went in 2009. If I were still playing, these would be the captains. But thank God, I did my part, and I am no more, so the captains should be Dede and Jordan. But because it would mean Ayew after Ayew, they didn’t want it to happen, so they skipped from Dede to Thomas, then Djiku.”
The captaincy issue has become topical again following Otto Addo’s decision to hand the armband to Mohammed Kudus ahead of Ghana’s game against Sudan in October 2024.
In the absence of Thomas Partey and Djiku, Otto Addo opted for the West Ham midfielder as captain, and that raised eyebrows as many believe that Jordan Ayew should have been picked.
In a dramatic turn of events, Otto Addo has stripped Mohammed Kudus of the role and given it to Jordan Ayew ahead of Ghana’s games against Angola and Niger.
Addressing a press conference on November 7, 2024, Otto Addo stated that he believes Kudus will eventually rise to the role but for now, Jordan Ayew will lead the team.
“I talked to [Mohammed] Kudus for him to understand that for me he just needs to learn and grow. I want him to remain the second captain alongside [Alexander] Djiku, but Jordan will take over from now,” Addo explained at a news conference.
The Black Stars will play as guests to Angola on November 15, 2024, before hosting Niger at the Accra Sports Stadium three days later.
With just two points from four matches, the Black Stars have an extremely bleak chance of qualifying, with Angola and Sudan, who have twelve and seven points respectively, in pole position to qualify for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
EK
