Black Stars coach Charles Kwablan Akonnor has explained his decision of starting substantive captain Andre Ayew from the bench in the international friendly against Morocco on Tuesday night.
Fresh off the English championship promotion play-offs final, Ayew was introduced in the game with ten minutes remaining as Ghana laboured for an elusive equaliser.
The game ended with the Black Stars losing 1-0, but C.K Akonnor insists, he has been working a team with and without the captain and how they’ll fare.
“[Dede Ayew] is the captain, but when he is not around what do we do? When he is not around we will try somebody, so this is a friendly match, and it’s an opportunity for the other players who do not often get the chance to play. Of course before you do that [benching Dede] as a coach you need to show respect and talk to the captain for him to understand,” Akonnor explained after the game.
“I explained to him [Dede Ayew] why he would not start, and it is my duty as a coach to make each player understand his role and what we want to do. If not there will be misunderstanding, so we have to treat everyone with respect. Respectfully, I sat him [Dede Ayew] down and explained things to him, and he understood,” he added.
The team touched down in Accra on Wednesday afternoon and will start preparations for the next match against the Ivory Coast on Saturday.