Stephen Appiah would be entitled to a feeling of honour as his Black Stars teammates praise him for his commitment to the Ghana dream at the 2008 African Cup of Nations.

The player, who has regularly demonstrated over the years his loyalty to the nation is absent from the tournament with a knee injury.

However, he has decided to remain at Ghana’s camp with his colleagues, to motivate and rally them to victory as he continues his recuperation.

Appiah was at the Ohene Djan Stadium on Sunday during the opening match between host, Ghana and Guinea which the Black Stars won 2-1.

And the player who secured victory for Ghana, Sulley Muntari says that Stephen Appiah presence did a lot for the team as he expects the regular captain to be there for the team at all times.

“Yes. It did. It (Appiah’s presence) did a lot because his presence there (stadium), we felt very special. He’s a great guy. Aside being a player, he is a good man.

“He came there to give us a lot of hope and we hope that he would always be there for us. And he was there yesterday (Sunday),” Sulley said.

John Mensah, who has since stepped in to lead the Black Stars, just like Sulley Muntari wants Appiah to remain around the team until he recovers from injury.

“The spirit was there. Once he is the senior captain, he is not out yet of the team. He hasn’t finished his career yet but it’s just a slight injury that he has.

“We are all wishing him a speedy recovery. And he is supposed to be there and he came there giving us more motivation. We also thank him for his presence,” says John Mensah.