President John Mahama has taken a light-hearted swipe at Ghana’s Black Stars over their failure to sing the national anthem during the team’s World Cup matches, joking that players who cannot sing it should not make the national team.

Speaking at the Jubilee House after Ghana’s exit from the tournament, the President said he was struck by the silence of some players during the anthem before the Black Stars’ final game — a 1-0 loss to Colombia that ended the country’s World Cup run.

He contrasted Ghana’s players with those of other nations, many of whom he said sang their anthems with visible pride and emotion before matches.

“During the World Cup, our players were not all singing the national anthem. All other countries, when they are singing their national anthem, you hear them singing with pride, but all our players were mute,” he said, drawing laughter as he acted out the silence.

His remarks drew laughter from the audience at the Jubilee House.

President Mahama then suggested, in a humorous but pointed remark, that singing the anthem should become part of the criteria for national team selection.

“It should be a qualification for playing for the national team. If you cannot sing the anthem, you cannot be in the team,” he said.

His comments come in the wake of Ghana’s elimination from the World Cup following the narrow defeat to Colombia, a result that brought an end to the Black Stars’ campaign and triggered fresh scrutiny of the team’s performance at the tournament.

Although the President’s remarks were made in jest, they touch on a broader issue that often resonates strongly with supporters — the expectation that players representing the nation should show visible pride in the symbols of state, especially on the global stage.

The national anthem has long been seen as more than a pre-match ritual, with many fans viewing it as a reflection of players’ connection to the country they represent.