Former Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntari has opened up about a surprising moment in his Black Stars career when he was unexpectedly stripped of the captaincy in favor of Asamoah Gyan.
In an interview with 3Sports, Muntari recalled that he had worn the captain’s armband for two World Cup qualifiers, including a match against Lesotho at the Baba Yara Stadium in 2012.
With key senior players like Michael Essien unavailable, he believed he was the rightful leader of the team.
However, in a shocking turn of events, the armband was handed to Gyan for the next qualifier against Sudan in 2013—without anyone informing him beforehand.
“I was the captain for the game against Lesotho in Kumasi and another match. When we got to Sudan, they gave the captaincy to Asamoah, and I was like, ‘No, I’m supposed to be the captain,’” Muntari revealed.
Confused and frustrated, Muntari decided to confront Gyan privately about the situation.
“I walked into Asa’s room and told him, ‘Asa, I am supposed to be the captain, not you. If Baffour (Gyan’s older brother) was here and they gave me the armband, I wouldn’t take it because I know he deserves it. It’s the same thing here.’”
Gyan, however, explained that his appointment had already been made official.
“He said, ‘Muta, I went there, and they made me sign everything,’ and I said, ‘Okay.’”
Despite the unexpected change, the Black Stars went on to win the match 3-1, with both Gyan and Muntari getting on the scoresheet.
The issue of captaincy in the Black Stars has always been a hot topic, and it resurfaced recently when coach Otto Addo handed the armband to Mohammed Kudus over Jordan Ayew during an international fixture in October. As history shows, leadership decisions in the national team have often sparked debate—and Muntari’s story is yet another reminder of the drama surrounding the Black Stars captaincy.
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