Former Ghana international Prince Opoku Bismark Polley Sampene believes that ongoing captaincy disputes have negatively impacted the Black Stars, affecting team unity and morale.
Over the years, captaincy issues have been a recurring problem within the national team, with notable tensions between Asamoah Gyan and Andre Ayew. More recently, Jordan Ayew was reportedly unhappy with how the Black Stars’ technical team handled the captaincy situation during the 2025 AFCON qualifiers in November 2024. In those matches, Ghana coach Otto Addo chose Mohammed Kudus to captain the team instead of the experienced Ayew.
Speaking to Kessben FM, Polley emphasized that these leadership disputes have had lasting consequences on the squad.
“Captaincy issues have cost the Black Stars a lot. It discourages players. I saw Jordan’s situation as problematic. I remember Coach Kwesi Appiah solving a similar issue before our game against Sudan at the Accra Sports Stadium. When an opposing coach has to step in to fix our captaincy problem before a game, that’s a serious issue we should have addressed. Again, I think Otto Addo should have explained to Jordan why he gave the armband to Kudus,” Polley said.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that Jordan Ayew is set to be named the new captain of the Black Stars ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers this month. The decision follows Thomas Partey’s choice to relinquish his role as first deputy captain, leading to Alexander Djiku’s appointment as his replacement.
