Despite Ayew’s impressive performances in the French Ligue 1 with Le Havre, the 35-year-old was left out of Ghana’s squad for the Matchday 5 and 6 fixtures of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

When asked about his decision to omit the experienced forward, Addo stated in an interview with Joy Sports that other players were currently ahead of Ayew in his selection process.

“If we need Andre Ayew, we will call him. At the moment, I see others ahead of him,” Addo remarked.

However, Tackie did not take kindly to the coach’s comments and expressed his displeasure in a social media post, arguing that Addo had shown a lack of respect for Ayew.

He questioned the coach’s stance, highlighting that Addo himself had previously emphasized active club participation as a key criterion for selection.

“Coach Otto Addo’s comments on Andre Ayew are shocking and disappointing. On numerous occasions, the same coach has said one of the key criteria for selection into the national team is active club participation. How can Ayew, Ghana’s most-capped player, a three-time World Cup veteran, and a proven leader, be deemed unworthy even when playing well at his club in the French league?” he quizzed.

He further criticized Addo’s decision, pointing out that the coach had failed to secure Ghana’s qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

“Ayew’s legacy and commitment to the Black Stars are undeniable. His experience, leadership, and track record in major tournaments speak volumes. It is baffling that a coach who failed to qualify Ghana for this year’s Africa Cup of Nations would so casually dismiss the contributions of a player who has consistently delivered for his country and is playing week in and week out at his club,” he continued.

Tackie described Addo’s comments as “unprofessional and unbecoming” of a national team coach, arguing that Ayew deserved more recognition for his contributions to the Black Stars.

“Such remarks are not only disrespectful to Ayew but also undermine his sacrifices and the pride he has brought to Ghana football. Coach Addo’s comments are unprofessional and unbecoming of someone in his position.”

Andre Ayew last featured for Ghana during the March 2024 international break in a 2-2 draw against Uganda. Since making his debut in 2007, the Le Havre forward has earned 120 caps and scored 24 goals for the national team.

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Despite being the team’s most experienced member at the age of 34, calls for Ayew’s retirement from the national team have increased following another group stage exit at AFCON.

In response, Tackie said the decision to retire ultimately rests with Dede Ayew and no one else.

“Andre is an adult who can make his own decisions. People can offer suggestions, but it’s up to him to decide what’s best for his career,” Tackie expressed in an interview with Max TV.

Addressing the constant scrutiny faced by the Ayew brothers, Tackie believes that many critics are driven by a desire to gain attention and boost their social media profiles.

“The Ayew name attracts a lot of attention, and some people use that to their advantage. They know that talking about Jordan and Dede will generate a lot of engagement and views, so they keep bringing them up,” he explained.

Ayew, who is the captain of the side with eight AFCON tournaments under his belt, remains Ghana’s most-capped player and holds the record for the most appearances in AFCON history, tied with Rigobert Song.

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FiiFi Tackie, on Tuesday, April 3, released photos of Abedi Pele’s autobiography to dismiss the notion that Asamoah Gyan is the first Ghanaian footballer to issue an autobiography.

The former Olympique Marseille ace and the Champions League winner’s autobiography was written both in English and French long before Gyan planned to ink his into history according to Fiifi.

“The Maestro Abedi Ayew Pele’s Autobiography was written in 1992 in English and French versions. This is a copy of the French version,” FiiFi Tackie tweeted.

However, Anim Addo launched an attack on Fiifi Tackie as he claimed that the latter was trying to take the shine away from Gyan’s successful book launch.

Anim Addo, who is a Ghana Football Association [GFA] Executive Council member in a reply on Twitter said he does not understand why Fiifi Tackie was staging a war for Abedi Pele just because he cannot stand the name Asamoah Gyan.

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“And who challenged that, why this particular time? Is it because the BabyJet book was launched successfully or you? Can’t stand the name Asamoah Gyan?? Padi stop this negative vibe wai, it won’t help you. Maestro is relaxing at home enjoying his family, let me be aah.”

Asamoah Gyan’s book titled the ‘LeGyanDary’ was successfully launched with Ghana President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and many football stars in attendance.

Gyan raised over Ghc340k at the event held over the weekend.

The 29-year-old has come under intense bashing following his poor goalscoring form for both club and country.

The former Aston Villa and Olympique Marseille forward has failed to score in his last 37 games for Crystal Palace and 10 games for Ghana. 

Former Arsenal forward, Thierry Henry, following Jordan’s decisive miss against Brighton and Hove Albion last week said he would have killed the Ghanaian if he was his teammate.

However, Mr Tackie believes that despite his failure to hit the back of the net, Jordan brings on board a lot of importance as his general contributions help both Crystal Palace and Ghana to achieve good results.

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“Jordan Ayew is more of a team player than an individual player,” he told Accra-based Happy FM.

“Jordan doesn’t see anything wrong if he tries to assist than to score. I think we should also assess Jordan Ayew by his contribution on the pitch as we do to his goal-scoring records.

“It is one of the reasons why Crystal Palace coach Patrick Vieira will continue to use him ahead of others in the team,” he added.

Ayew played only 57 minutes last weekend when Palace shared the spoils 2-2 against Leicester City at the Selhurst Park.

He is, however, yet to score this season under Patrick Vieira in the ongoing Premier League.

Ayew has been named among Ghana’s 23 man squad that will play Zimbabwe in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers on October 9 at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium and October 12 in the reverse fixture in Harare.