Can new Black Stars captain Mohammed Kudus make history against Sudan today?
When midfielder Mohammed Kudus assumes the role of captain for Ghana's Black Stars in their 2025 AFCON Qualifier against Sudan at the Accra Sports Stadium today, October 10, 2024, it will not be the usual order of just playing a football match.
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The West Ham United star has the daunting task to inspire and carry the entire team along to overcome a seemingly dominant Sudan side in a double header, which will determine Ghana's chances of making it or missing the boat to the next AFCON for the first time since 2004.
Indeed, this 2025 AFCON qualifier between the Black Stars and the Nile Crocodides is not just about securing points —It is a clash that delves deep into emotions and football loyalty considering the tensed build up to the game.
Already, the match has taken a somewhat interesting turn from Sudan coach, James Kwesi Appiah stepping down from his role as a member of the Ghana Football Association Executive Council over conflict of interest issues to the President of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Edwin Simeon Okraku spitting harsh toned words to the players at a dinner in their hotel on Tuesday.
The GFA President voiced his frustration with the Black Stars following their disappointing start to the AFCON qualifiers, where he specifically mentioned the name of Kudus and Alexander Djiku to remind them of their sole responsibilities as players of the Black Stars.
"When (Mohammed) Kudus, you weren’t born, this team—Black Stars—already existed. Alexander (Djiku), before you were born, this team called Black Stars was here. So, before any of you were born, Black Stars existed," the GFA President said.
"It is either you are with this family or you are out of this family. It is simple and because me, I swear by my life, if you are out of this family, Ghana will never be represented by ten men, never, it will be 11 on the pitch," he added.
With Kudus' captaincy job now duly confirmed by Coach Otto Addo at a pre-match presser yesterday, the 23-year-old football star, has a sole mandate to lead the team to secure victory against Sudan both home and away to pacify Ghanaian football fans for the team's "slow" start to the campaign as well as etch his name in the history books.
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"Kudus will lead the team. I said it before...that he will be the second captain," Otto Addo said in response to a question at the presser.
The former Ajax star takes on the captaincy role in the absence of stand-in captain Thomas Partey and Andre Ayew. Partey withdrew from the squad due to medical concerns while Ayew, the substantive captain has missed the games following his omission from the call-ups.
Kudus has been a key figure in the national team since his debut in November 2019 against South Africa. So far, he has scored 11 goals and provided four assists in 36 appearances for the Black Stars.
This will be the first time he will wear the captain's armband for the Black Stars and will be hoping he can influence the squad to turn around their campaign.
The team has garnered just one point from a possible six, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Angola and managing only a 1-1 draw against Niger in their first two matches.
These results left Ghana in third place in Group F and caused them to drop six spots in the latest FIFA World Rankings, moving from 64th to 70th.
It will take 90 minutes of football action at the Accra Sports Stadium this afternoon to determine whether Mohammed Kudus, the boy from Nima, can make history against Sudan.