Former Ghana international Sulley Muntari has criticized the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for its mismanagement of the Black Stars’ captaincy during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, describing the situation as “horribly” handled.
The controversy began after regular captain Thomas Partey was sidelined due to injury, sparking a series of leadership changes. Mohammed Kudus was initially named captain for Ghana’s October 2024 qualifier against Sudan by head coach Otto Addo. However, the captaincy was later reassigned to Jordan Ayew for subsequent matches against Angola and Niger.
These abrupt changes created confusion within the team and were widely blamed for the Black Stars’ disjointed performances, which ultimately cost them a spot at AFCON 2025. Reflecting on the chaos, Muntari, a veteran of Ghana’s historic 2010 World Cup campaign, did not hold back in his criticism of the GFA.
“It was [handled] horribly. It is the FA. They can’t control themselves; that’s why that happened. Usually, the armband is handed to the most experienced one,” Muntari stated.
As Ghana prepares for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in March 2024, many are calling for clearer and more consistent leadership protocols to prevent similar issues from derailing the national team in the future.
