Former Vice President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Fred Pappoe, has expressed deep concern about the recent performances of the Black Stars, attributing their abysmal showing to inadequate preparations.
The discerning football administrator in an interview on Happy FM, bluntly criticized the team’s lack of urgency, stressing the significance of approaching each match with a final-game mentality.
“Preparations of the Black Stars towards games have been very poor, and this lack of adequate preparations has been the cause of the recent abysmal performance of the team,” Pappoe stated.
“Teams like Comoros and Madagascar are no match for Ghana. It’s very worrying to see the Black Stars play the way they do. There seems to be no sense of urgency in the team. They have to treat every match like it’s a final game because every minute matters.”
The Black Stars, under the management of Coach Chris Hughton, have faced intense scrutiny from Ghanaians, especially following their 1-0 defeat to Comoros in Moroni during the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. This defeat marked Hughton’s third loss in nine games in charge, with the team having drawn twice and won four times.
Ghana, currently with three points after two rounds of games, finds themselves trailing behind Comoros, who ascended to the top of the group with four points from two matches.
With the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on the horizon, scheduled to be staged in Ivory Coast between January and February 2024, the Black Stars will be looking to rejuvenate their campaign.
The disappointment of the recent World Cup Qualifier defeat has intensified the pressure on Coach Chris Hughton and the entire team. The team will be hoping to punch above their weight in the upcoming AFCON, especially after the team’s premature exit from the group stages in the last edition.