The President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Okraku, has revealed that he anticipated the Black Stars’ disappointing performance at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast.
Following a group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, expectations were high for the senior national team to bounce back at AFCON.
Under coach Chris Hughton, the Black Stars failed to win any of their three group matches and were eliminated at the first stage.
Speaking on Asaase Radio, Okraku admitted: “To be honest, going into that tournament, I was not expecting something different, and I told people close to me that it would not work for us because I knew the team and knew the happenings, and we exited the competition at the group phase.
“When we came home, there was a need for us to look at what we did, but unfortunately, we started declining as well, and we failed to qualify for the last AFCON.”
He added that the team’s struggles continued upon returning home, ultimately resulting in Ghana missing qualification for the next AFCON.
Reflecting on recent successes, Okraku praised the GFA Executive Council for taking decisive action that helped the team secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
“Ghana spoke after that, and it was very loud, and as a leader, I listened to everybody, and we all agreed that there was a need for a reset and to be honest with ourselves.
“We needed to know what was fundamentally wrong with us and fix it. After listening to the Executive Council, we made the right decisions, and we qualified for the 2026 World Cup,” he added.
