"I Don't See Any Leader": Ex Ghana Captain Criticises Current Black Stars
- Legendary midfielder Stephen Appiah has lamented over the lack of leadership in the Black Stars team
- The Black Stars dropped crucial points against Angola and Niger in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers early September
- Ghana will face Sudan in October's Internationa break in a two-legged game in the AFCON qualifiers
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Former Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has expressed frustration over the current state of the senior national team.
The Black Stars have struggled in recent times, including picking just a point in two matches from the opening two games of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
At their last three major tournaments, the Black Stars have failed to go beyond the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup.
Source: Getty Images
According to Appiah, who led Ghana to their first-ever World Cup in 2006, the Black Stars team lacks leadership at the moment.
"As a leader, you must lead. Some decisions may not be popular among the players, but they need to be made. I don’t see a captain leading the team now, and when you leave things like that, the players will think they can do whatever they want on the pitch," he said during his meeting with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports, as quoted by Pulse.
“During our time, with players like Michael Essien, we sometimes fought on the pitch. We argued and exchanged words, but it never affected our ultimate goal,” Appiah added.
Appiah made 67 appearances for the Black Stars and featured to two World Cups for Ghana, per Transfermarkt.
Andre Ayew dropped from recent call-ups
Captain of the Black Stars Andre Ayew has not received an invite in the last two assignments, including in June World Cup qualifiers and September's AFCON qualifiers.
His absence is believed to have significantly affected the performance of the team especially in the AFCON qualifiers, where Ghana has picked only a point in two games.
Meanwhile, Arsenal star Thomas Partey, has been the leader of the team in the absence of the 34-year-old.
Appiah questions players' commitment
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that former Black Stars captain Stephen Appiah has bemoaned the level of commitment in the current Ghana team following the team's recent slump.
The senior national team has struggled at major competitions in the last three years, failing to go beyond the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021 and 2023 and the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
Ghana picked only a point in their opening two games of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, losing at home for the first time in 24 years in the game against Angola before a draw against Niger in Morocco.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
