Former Ghanaian midfielder, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu has advised the newly-appointed captain of the Black Stars, Jordan Ayew ahead of their last two encounters against Angola and Niger in the AFCON 2025 qualifiers.
Having struggled in Group F with just two points from their first four matches, the four-time African champions are on the verge of missing out on the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 20 years since 2004.
Reacting to Jordan’s appointment as the captain, the former U-20 World Cup winner said, “Jordan Ayew is the senior most player in the team. I will urge him to talk to the guys, visit them in their rooms. I did the same with his brother at the U-20 level, like what Asamoah Gyan and the likes of Stephen Appiah were doing. Talk to them because they don’t know the terrain, the socialization and the culture. Tell them that this is a demanding and a football nation. Our supporters demand a lot.
“Jordan has been in the national team for more than 12 to 13 years and he knows the ‘ins and outs” and the odds. I know that he can calm them and go into the games with good preparations,” Badu told Ahotor FM.
Ghana faces Angola away on Friday, November 15, at Estádio 11 de Novembro, followed by a final home game against Niger at Accra Sports Stadium on Monday, November 18.
The team will not book a ticket to the competition in Morocco if they fail to win their final two games and Sudan do not drop points in their last two games.