GFA Exco member: Black Stars are not ready to win the AFCON

GFA Exco member: Black Stars are not ready to win the AFCON

Tony Aubynn, a member of the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) Executive Council, believes the Black Stars are not ready to win the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The four-time champions last won the continental title in 1982, when it was hosted in Libya, and have lost three finals since then. In 1992 and 2015, they were defeated in penalty shootouts by Ivory Coast, and in 2010, they were defeated 1-0 by Egypt.

Ghana, on the other hand, has recently declined after appearing in six consecutive semi-finals and has failed to impress. They were eliminated in the round of 16 in the 2019 AFCON and had their perhaps worst-ever performance in the previous edition, failing to advance past the group stage.

Tony Aubynn feels it is past time for the country to acknowledge the team’s flaws and focus on a long-term project.

He believes that aiming to win the tournament anytime soon is a dishonest goal.

“We have talented players in Europe and our local league, but I’m not sure we have a team.”

“What we as a country need to do is lower our expectations as Ghanaians and then build from there.”

“If we continue to believe that we are good enough to beat Brazil or win the Afcon at this level of our team, we are deceiving ourselves,” he told Akoma FM.

“Winning is fine, but we must build, as Senegal, Morocco, and others have done in recent years.”

“The truth is that we need to lower our expectations and strengthen our foundation for the future.”

Meanwhile, Ghana will face the Central African Republic in the last round of qualifiers in order to qualify for the 2023 AFCON.