Former Black Stars defender Illiasu Shilla has voiced concerns about a possible rift in the national team following reports that Jordan Ayew has been named captain ahead of the March World Cup qualifiers.
According to Shilla, both Ayew and Thomas Partey have close circles within the squad, and the transition of the captain’s armband from Partey to Ayew could create division.
For the old players, our fear and our worry is that if care is not taken, it will come to a time that the team will be divided into two because whether we like it or not, Partey has his own—I’m not going to say a camp or maybe his people ; but the reality is that when you are in a national team, you have people that you always go to. So me, I don’t have any problem with the coach giving the captain’s armband to Jordan.
Reports indicate that Partey, who has captained the Black Stars twice, has been passed over in favor of 33-year-old Leicester City forward Jordan Ayew.
Shilla also questioned the timing of the decision and urged Black Stars head coach Otto Addo to be cautious about the potential consequences.
But the question is, why now? Well, initially, it was Partey. Is it that maybe because we didn’t qualify for the AFCON?
But we should also remember it was the same Partey who captained Ghana in those two crucial games against Mali in Bamako and the Central African Republic in Kumasi.
So what I can say is that we just have to be very careful. When you look at the game itself, you know, you can’t compare Jordan to Partey in terms of experience.
Ghana is set to resume its World Cup qualifying campaign in March, with these developments adding intrigue to the team’s preparations.
