Otto Addo: “Jordan Ayew wants his brother André to be by his side at the Black Stars”
Ghana national coach Otto Addo said striker Jordan Ayew wanted to be alongside his older brother André Ayew at the Black Stars, while the Sochaux midfielder was left out of the June rally, counting for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Sons of Ghanaian legend Abédi Pelé, the Ayew brothers have played together for the Black Stars since 2012, and have both surpassed 100 appearances for Ghana. However, while Jordan was called up for the matches against the Central African Republic (4-3) and Mali (2-1) in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, André was dismissed by coach Otto Addo. A separation which had no impact on the performance of the youngest Ayew, who notably scored a hat-trick against the Central Africans.
Speaking to reporters after Monday's match against CAR, Otto Addo responded to a question on whether Andre's absence had any effects on his brother Jordan. The 49-year-old manager said that although the Crystal Palace striker wanted to have his brother alongside him in the national team, it was up to the manager to decide who would play or not.
“Let me speak for Jordan. It's his brother. Of course he wants him to be by his side, but what will happen: it's my decision, it's the decision of our coaching staff, said Addo, reported by Pulse sports.
“As a brother, he would like him to be next to him. But I have a responsibility to the national team, to Ghana, and I have to decide what is best for the team, and who knows? Maybe he's there, maybe not, but I don't know” , he added. As a reminder, Jordan Ayew scored 28 goals with Ghana, making him the Black Stars' sixth all-time top scorer behind Abdul Razak, Tony Yeboah, Abedi Ayew Pele, Kwasi Owusu, Edward Acquah and Asamoah Gyan.