GFA clarifies Black Stars captaincy situation ahead of Chad tie

Ghana Football Association (GFA) Communications Director, Henry Asante Twum, has addressed the controversy surrounding the Black Stars captaincy, clarifying that Mohammed Kudus’ stint as captain was only interim.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Chad on Friday at the Accra Sports Stadium, Twum emphasised that the only significant captaincy change was Jordan Ayew’s appointment as the permanent captain.

Kudus had previously captained the Black Stars in the 2025 AFCON qualification matches against Sudan and Niger. However, Twum reiterated that his role was temporary.

“As far as the Kudus situation, (it) was an interim one. There is only one major issue to talk about which is Jordan (Ayew) taking over from Thomas (Partey) so I think we have to move on from there,” Twum said.

Ghana dropped to third place in Group I after Madagascar’s 4-1 win over the Central African Republic on March 19. However, the Black Stars have now moved up to second following Mali’s victory over Comoros.

Mali defeated Comoros 3-0, with Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma providing a brace of assists in the win, which took place in Morocco.

This match marked Mali head coach Tom Saintfeit’s first in charge of the Eagles in the World Cup qualifiers after he replaced Eric Chelle, who was subsequently appointed as Nigeria’s head coach.

The victory keeps Mali in fourth place with eight points from five games, but Saintfeit’s team is just two points behind group leaders Madagascar.