Ghana will once again begin another journey to reclaim it’s lost glory on the African continent when the 2019 Africa Cup of nations in Egypt gets underway.
The Stars might be seen as one of the favorites to win this year’s tournament in Egypt but tackling issues that they the team will face prior to the competition can be vital for them.
In recent years, the Stars have been in the news for all the bad reasons at major tournaments.
In Brazil 2014, the black stars became a laughing stock after government air lifted millions of dollars to be shared among the playing body as appearance fees for the team.
This development gave the country a bad image after pictures went viral on social media.
Ghana often encounters problems before major competitions.
Issues of budget, player’s bonuses, captaincy issues and several others have hindered Ghana’s progress in recent years at the event.
Coach Kwesi Appiah shares his thoughts on the Black Stars Pre-AFCON preparations so far #TotalAFCON2019 #BlackStars2019 pic.twitter.com/0N1TzgiTuU
— Ghana Football Association (@ghanafaofficial) June 10, 2019
Row over captaincy
The country had to deal with captaincy row prior to the team’s camping in Dubai for the 2019 AFCON.
It took Ghana’s President Nana Akufo Addo to intervene before top striker Asamoah Gyan to rescind his decision not to be part of the team after he was stripped off the captaincy.
The connoisseurs and pundits of the game have tipped Ghana as one of the favorites to win this year’s title in Egypt but obviously a lot of work on and off the pitch must go into our approach to the event.
The President Nana Akufo Addo before the team’s departure, hosted them to a fare well dinner at the seat of government and assured them of the government’s support.
He also urged the team to be united to achieve what he tagged as the year of return which simply means the trophy will come to Ghana at the end of the championship.
Akufo Addo said “Thirty million Ghanaians are behind you and praying feverishly that the 37 years wait since we last won the cup will come to an end this year”.
“You have to respect unreservedly, the authority of the Coach and the authority of the Captain…that is basic rules, non-negotiable rules, if you don’t do it, everybody will be going their separate ways. If you do that, you cement the team work and you will become a cohesive forceful force”.
Talk they say is cheap but the big question is, can the Stars really execute the task given by the President?
Coach Kwesi Appiah names final squad for #TOTALAFCON2019 : https://t.co/7cs1OiJBCN
— Ghana Football Association (@ghanafaofficial) June 10, 2019
The Black Stars have been drawn in Group F alongside defending champions Cameroun, Guinea Bissau and Benin.
If the President Akufo Addo’s plea to the team will not be a mere talk, then a lot will depend on the activities done both on and off the pitch.
The Playing body and the technical handlers must put in a lot of work to achieve success.
Source: Africafeeds.com / Michael Nsiah Otchere
