Andre Ayew maintained as Black Stars captain
Andre Ayew took over from Asamoah Gyan as Ghana captain before the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and he has been retained as the skipper
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has announced that Andre Ayew will retain the captaincy of the Black Stars.
The Swansea City forward was first named captain during Kwasi Appiah’s tenure as coach of the national team.
The 30-year-old replaced Asamoah Gyan in the role and skippered Ghana to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) hosted by Egypt.
There had been talks about a possible change in the captaincy following the appointment of Charles Kwablan Akonnor as Black Stars coach.
However, the technical team of the national team has decided to maintain Ayew as the substantive skipper.
Partey, Ofori elevated
Meanwhile, midfielder Thomas Partey has also been announced as the new first vice-captain of the Black Stars.
The Atletico Madrid player has been one of Ghana’s most consistent players in Europe in the last couple of years.
Maritzburg United goalkeeper Richard Ofori has also been elevated to the role of second vice-captain in the team.
In a statement, the GFA said Ayew, Partey and Ofori will lead the Black Stars in the qualifiers for the AFCON and the World Cup.
“The trio will lead the team as the Black Stars go through the remaining Africa Cup of Nation qualifiers as well as the qualifying games for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and subsequent tournaments,” the statement said.
“Rotation” U-turn
The decision to maintain Ayew as captain marks a major U-turn by Black Stars coach Charles Kwabla Akonnor who suggested in June that the captaincy could be rotated.
Speaking to Happy FM, Akonnor said he preferred Ghana emulating the likes of Brazil and England.
“Sometimes this captaincy issue comes as a result of poor communication from management members or certain people trying to push their own agenda,” he said.
“Looking at our current situation, I will propose we rotate the captain’s armband and also a general captain appointed to speak on behalf of the players. Brazil and other countries have made it work, so we can also emulate them. We should be careful or else this captaincy row can affect the national team for years to come,” Akonnor added.
E A Alanore
* Asaase Radio 99.5 – tune in or log on to broadcasts online.
#asaaseradio
#TVOL
