Black stars vice captain Andre Ayew and his brother Jordan Ayew have hit the headlines once again
after being axed from the black stars squad for the AFCON 2019 qualifier next month, but Solar Ayew,younger father of the duo
has described the situation as “normal in Ghana football”.
The pair were dropped from coach Kwasi Appiah’s 26-man squad against Uganda in the second leg for
the 2018 world cup qualifier.
This was repeated in Ghana’s two friendlies against Iceland and Japan
before the mundial in Russia which Ghana failed to qualify and Solar Ayew, a former Ghana U-23
midfielder and a younger brother of the Ayew brothers’ father Abedi Ayew Pele said, that snubbing the
Ayew brothers is now normal in the Ghanaian game.
Solar Ayew shared his impression on the issue in an interview with FOX 97.9 FM, and while
acknowledging that the coach determines which player to call and which to drop, he also believes that
omitting the Ayews from Kwasi Appiah’s squad is no longer a matter of surprise as has now become a
norm in recent call ups to the Black Stars.
“We just got the news this morning (Wednesday) that they were not called, but that is normal in Ghana
football, for some time now they are not normally called so it’s not something new”, Solar Ayew told FOX
97.9 FM.
“If you will remember that recently the national team (Black Stars) played a lot of matches without
the call up of the Ayews, and so it’s a normal thing going on so for the Ayews it’s not a problem”, he said.
Speaking about their future with the Black Stars going forward, Solar Ayew insists that Andre Ayew and
Jordan are ever ready and available to serve their nation anytime they are called up.
“I always say Andre (Ayew) and Jordan (Ayew), they are Ghanaians and they’ll keep on being
Ghanaians and they will be ready to serve at anytime if they are called up, but if they are not called too
it’s the manager who decides and he knows the players that he wants to call and he has called them, so I
don’t think it’s a problem to the Ayews”, Solar assured.
To many, coach Kwasi Appiah’s failure to call the Ayew brothers for national duty is not for footballing
reasons, and that the duo are gradually being shipped out of the team, paving way for new talents that
will rejuvinate the Black Stars, but Solar Ayew insists that Ghana has numerous talents in football and
not all players may be called up.
“I think in Ghana we have more than thousand footballers, the manager needed only maybe 22 or 23, he
can’t call them all but he knows the people to call, in terms of best performers I can say the Ayews are
part but he (the manager) decides who to call and it’s a normal thing that he can’t call all of them and he
has called some and left some, so it’s a normal thing to the Ayews”, Solar insisted.
The Black Stars will play against Kenya in Nairobi on September 8 for the 2019 AFCON qualifier, and
with both captain Asamoah Gyan and vice Andre not part of the squad, the arms band may be worn by
Inter Milan midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah who has returned to the squad after four years of absence, or
Thomas Partey of Athletico Madrid.
STORY: BY STEPHEN TETTEH (CONTINENTAL)
SOURCE: FOX 97.9 FM
