Former Ghana U-20 star, Ransford Osei, has revealed that in 2009, he was stripped off the Black Satellites captain's armband because of Andre Dede Ayew.

According to the former Asante Kotoko player, he had led the team for a while but he got stripped off the captaincy during the CAF U20 championship in Rwanda in 2009 after Dede Ayew was invited to join the team.

Recounting how he learned of the decision, he said that after leading the squad to a victory over Angola, he was told to hand up the armband because "the captain of the team is coming."

"I captained the first qualification (U-20 AFCON) against Angola...So ahead of the second game against Gambia, I was in camp and they told me that the captain was coming so I should hand over the captain's armband. And I asked 'Which captain?' Because since we started the U-20 I've been the captain all through so which captain again? They said Dede Ayew is joining and he will be the captain. I said 'Oh okay' and handed it over without saying anything," he told Dokk Royal Channel on YouTube.

He noted that assistant manager Orlando Willington communicated the decision to him and he complied without hesitation.

"It was the assistant coach Orlando Willington. He gave me the information and I said oh okay I've heard...So before he even got to camp, they had already informed me."



Ghana went on to win the U-20 AFCON and secured qualification for the U-20 FIFA World Cup. Ransford won the top scorer award after netting 7 goals.

The team subsequently won the U-20 FIFA World Cup hosted by Egypt to become the only African nation to win the tournament.


Watch Ransford Osei's interview below




EE//OGB