Alhaji Grusah, a member of the Black Stars management committee, has come to the defense of Ghana captain Andre Ayew.

There have been calls for Ayew’s removal from the national team, but Grusah believes that Ayew remains a crucial player for the Black Stars and should not be forced out.

Critics have pointed to Ayew’s recent performances at the World Cup, but Grusah believes that Ayew’s contributions to the team go beyond his performance on the field and that he is an important leader and role model for the younger players on the team.

In an interview with Akoma FM, Grusah hit out at critics of Ayew, saying, “For those who are asking for Dede’s retirement, I want to ask how old is Cristiano Ronaldo?

“If only Dede can take good care of himself, we still need him. We can’t go into a tournament without senior players. Ghanaians were angry over his penalty miss, but they soon forgot what he did for us against South Africa.”

The owner of King Faisal added, “People were just making unnecessary noise about his reporting early at camp, was it wrong as a captain if he reports first at camp?

“If most of our players were committed and dedicated to the team just as Dede and his brother did for us, Ghana would have gone far.”

Andre Ayew, 33, was part of the Black Stars squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and scored against Portugal in the opening Group H match.