Former Black Stars defender Illiasu Shilla has raised concerns about potential division within the national team following reports that Jordan Ayew has been named captain ahead of the March World Cup qualifiers.
Shilla believes the transition of the armband from Thomas Partey to Ayew could create tension in the squad, as both players have close circles within the team. The issue of captaincy has been a recurring source of drama for the Black Stars, sometimes affecting their performances on the pitch.
“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,” Shilla said.
With the qualifiers approaching, all eyes will be on the squad’s unity under Ayew’s leadership.
Ghana shifts attention to the World Cup qualifiers after failing to book a ticket to the 2025 AFCON. Ghana will play Chad on March 21st at the Accra Sports Stadium. The team will then fly out to take on Madagascar on March 24th.
