Augustine Arhinful Disagrees With New John Mensah Role

Former Ghana international Augustine Arhinful says John Mensah should be given a different role in the Black Stars - a role separate from the 'general captaincy' position he has just been assigned. Kwesi Appiah, the team's coach, said in a statement released on Monday that Asamoah Gyan was the new captain of the side, while John Mensah had been elevated to the role of 'general captain'. It is not clear what the duties of Mensah will be, as a position of the sort has never been seen in Ghana's national team history before. "As to whether I agree with the general captaincy I really do not understand. Because what is going to be the duties of the general captain if the captain is also around?" Arhinful said. The former Ghana international says he is not sure what role or title exactly John Mensah should be given, but believes the current ones could breed territorial conflicts. "We could give [John Mensah] a different title, because maybe it's going to be a conflict of positions," he reasoned. Gyan's new job On Gyan's rise to the national team captaincy, Arhinful expressed his warmest wishes to both player and the team. "But Kwesi Appiah is the coach and he feels Asamoah is the right person to lead the team and I commend him for that decision and congrats to Asamoah Gyan as well." Meanwhile, calls for support have been coming in. Former national under-17 star Odartey Lamptey has called for all parties - whether they agree with the decision or not - to help the Al Ain player feel at ease in his new role. "I think it is good decision for him to be made the permanent captain and obviously Kwesi Appiah knows what he has to offer. It's a good decision and we've to support him because he is the first striker if you look at the pecking order."