Former Ghanaian football stars have voiced their deep concerns over the performance of the national team, the Black Stars, as the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) draws near. Their remarks follow the team’s disappointing showings in international friendlies against Mexico and the USA earlier this month, where Ghana conceded 6 goals without scoring.
Abubakari Kankani, former Ghana international, emphasized the lack of a coherent system and pattern in the Black Stars’ play.
In an interview on Happy FM’s Wamputu Sports, he said, “This current Black Stars team plays without a system; there’s no pattern in their play, which is worrying because AFCON is approaching, and the team needs to start weighing their options when they come up against the big guns in Africa. The performance we saw against Mexico and the USA was very devastating. Coach Chris Hughton needs to up his game.”
Emmanuel Ampaw, another former Ghanaian player, echoed these sentiments, stating, “If you look at this team play, you cannot identify which part of the team is its strongest. Against the USA, we saw Weah lift the ball over Alidu Seidu, and he just stood there acting surprised, forgetting he needs to track back and defend his goal. What kind of attitude was that? The team looks psychologically down. We need to see the telepathy and patriotism in their plays.”
The Black Stars in their recent friendlies conceded a total of 6 goals without finding the back of the net.
Despite these setbacks, the Black Stars will now shift their focus to the upcoming World Cup qualifiers scheduled for November. Ghana will face Madagascar on November 13 and Comoros on November 21 in pivotal matches that will determine their World Cup destiny.
The pressure is mounting on Coach Chris Hughton and the Black Stars as they strive to regain their form and make a strong showing at the 2023 AFCON while aiming for World Cup qualification.