Ex-Black Stars defender, Samuel Osei Kuffour has expressed hope that the Black Stars can make an impact at the upcoming 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon.
Kuffour, who was a member of the Black Stars squad that qualified the country for its first-ever World Cup appearance and now a member of the Black Stars Management Committee believes the team [Black Stars] not been rated as favorites to win the trophy is good for the team to prove their critics and doubters wrong.
“Anytime the Black Stars are heading to a tournament and they are not under pressure, they perform. The team did it in 2006 and 2010 and as it stands, when people are mentioning the countries that will win the AFCON trophy, Ghana is not part of the favorites teams to win it which is good for the team.
“I think the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has done well by making sure the team is not under pressure ahead of the tournament.
“At the moment, there are some good players in there which is good. It is good because some of the players that won the CAF U-20 championship are in the team which makes it good. During my time with the Black Stars as a player, we did that from 2002 and through that, we were able to qualify for the World Cup in Germany for the first time”.
Sammy Kuffour
Just like Summy, Ibrahim Sannie Daara, a former Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), is of the opinion that the Black Stars can pull off a surprise at this month’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament to be held in Cameroon.
Black Stars will surprise Ghanaians positively
The CAF Senior Media Officer stated that “I hope the Black Stars will surprise Ghanaians positively”.
“I am confident if Milovan Rajevac is able to put a squad together, if we have all our players fit and Kudus, Kamaldeen, Jordan, Wakaso are all in good shape, we can give any country a good run for their money.
“I think Ghana can be a dark horse in this tournament. If people underrate us, we can be the surprise package in this tournament”.
Ibrahim Sannie Daara
The Black Stars are housed in Group C alongside Comoros, Gabon and Morocco for the 33rd edition of the continent’s most prestigious tournament which kicks off from January 9 to February 6, 2022.
Ghana, four time African champions, is tipped alongside the Atlas Lions to emerge from the group. The team has pitched camp in Doha, Qatar, for a fortnight and is expected to travel to Cameroon later this week after a preparatory friendship game against defending champions, Algeria.
Head coach, Milovan Rajevac, who is on a one-year renewable contract, has been tasked by the Ghana Football Association to win the trophy in Yaounde, having come close in 1992, 2010 and 2015.
Milovan Rajevac and his charges begin their campaign against Morocco on January 10, 2022, in Yaounde. Just like most countries, Ghana will also miss some key players. One of which is Mohammed Kudus who is spotted traveling with the Ajax squad to Portugal for the club’s mid-season training camp.
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