Former Black Stars midfielder Rahim Ayew, the eldest son of Ghanaian football icon Abedi Ayew Pele, has suggested that his younger brother, Jordan Ayew, was passed over for the Black Stars captaincy due to perceptions that the Ayew family dominates leadership roles in the national team.
In May 2024, Black Stars coach Otto Addo made the surprising decision to exclude Jordan’s older brother, Dede Ayew, from the squad.
Many anticipated that Jordan would inherit the captain’s armband, but Coach Addo instead appointed Thomas Teye Partey as captain.
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.”
When Partey was sidelined by injury ahead of the two crucial AFCON qualifiers against Sudan, Addo once again bypassed Jordan, assigning the captaincy to Mohammed Kudus.
Ghana’s performance in these matches, where they managed only a single point, sparked widespread public criticism.
In response to the backlash, Coach Addo has now confirmed that Jordan Ayew will lead the Black Stars in their upcoming 2025 AFCON qualifiers against Angola and Niger.
Rahim Ayew voiced his frustration over the captaincy decision on social media.
The Black Stars will face Angola’s Palancas Negras on Friday, November 15, and will go up against Niger’s Dama Gazelle on Monday, November 18.
