CAPTAINCY SHOULDN'T DERTERMINE DEDICATION

Football has been the most dominant sport in the history of sports in Ghana. It has played a very vital role in the lives of Ghanaians and it is one event which is known to unite people not only in Ghana, but in Africa and most part of the world. The Ghana Black Stars is currently among the top 10 best national football teams in Africa. This is followed by their remarkable participation in various tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The Black Stars first qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 2006 and subsequently qualified for the 2010 and 2014 editions. The Black Stars are also noted as one of only two African teams to make it to the quarter final stage of the world cup.Ghana has also won the African Cup of Nations four times, the first was in 1963, the second came in 1965, the third in 1978 and the fourth and last time was in 1982.

There is no doubt that football in the country has been quite rocky in the past few years, especially with the national team, Black Stars. Though they put in efforts during tournaments, their outcome usually do not meet the expectations of citizens, thus, winning the trophy. So we tend to wonder whether the coaches or the players are  to be blamed for their lack of success.

But could this be one reason that influenced Coach Kwesi Appiah’s abrupt decision?

It was reported that Asamoah Gyan retired from the national team following a press release on Monday, 20^th May. Asamoah Gyan’s decision to retire was blamed on the Head Coach, Kwesi Appiah. The Coach’s abrupt decision to make Dede Ayew the captain of the Black Stars and Asamoah Gyan  the General Captain took Ghanaians by surprise. This decision somehow made Asamoah Gyan feel betrayed and hurt, hence his decision to quit the national team.

 In my opinion, a player should be dedicated to his team regardless of whether or not he occupies a position. Asamoah Gyan should have at least taken his time and not rush into announcing his  retirement just because the captaincy was taken from him. This will  mean that he kept on playing in the national team only because he was the captain and not because he felt dedicated to the team.

But this is no news as this captaincy disputes have occurred quite a number of times in the history of the Black Stars. A similar issue occurred in 1992 where Charles Kumi Gyamfi, a former  Black Stars coach announced that Abedi Pele should replace Kwesi Appiah who was also then the captain of the Black Stars, ahead of the 1992 AFCON. And in 2014, John Mensah who was also the captain at that time was replaced with Asamoah Gyan. This isn’t the first nor the last time this will happen, because coaches have the power to choose anyone they feel deem to occupy the captaincy.

Nonetheless, Coach Appiah could have spoken to Asamoah Gyan one on one about his decision, rather than calling him on phone and telling him to renounce the captaincy himself. Losing one’s position could be very sensitive, therefore, the coach should have at least respected Gyan’s position as the captain by meeting him personally to talk about his sudden decision.

Asamoah Gyan later rescinded his decision to retire due to the intervention of the president, Nana Akuffo Addo, who urged him to make himself available for selection by the coach. However, some Ghanaians including Nana Aba Anamoah felt the president’s intervention was not necessary and had no impact on the economy, since there are more important issues to address.

Asamoah Gyan did not only rescind his decision to retire, he also went ahead to reconcile with the Black Stars coach on Tuesday, 28^th May. During which he assured coach Appiah of his readiness to work with him and his teammates towards winning the African Cup of Nations which is set to begin on the 21^st of June, 2019.

Despite all these controversies, Dede Ayew still maintains the captaincy and Asamoah Gyan is still named the General Captain of the team. It is important to note that in football, there is no term as “General Captain”, It is either a person is a captain or an assistant captain. This means Asamoah Gyan will no longer wear the armband on the pitch but may only help lead the team when they are off the pitch.

It is also important to acknowledge the fact that captaincy does not win a cup, but rather a team does. A captain can always be influential on the pitch because of his role as the leader of the team but truth be told, he is just one man and can’t attain glory without the support of his teammates.

Now the question is, would Kwesi Appiah’s decision to make Ayew the captain polish up the team for the AFCON?

Do you think this decision would help the team gain victory for the first time since 1982?

Kindly share your thoughts.