President Simeon-Okraku says the best time to push and put our weight behind the Black Stars is during difficult times. His comments come on the back of recent uninspiring performances from the team in both the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in November.
The Black Stars conceded six and scored none during two International friendly games against Mexico and the United States of America in October 2023 and later labored to a 1-0 win over Madagascar following a 95th minute goal from Inaki Williams before losing 1-0 to Comoros in November’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
These inconsistent results have left many football fans in doubt going into the Africa Cup of Nations. But President Simeon-Okraku believes that the best gift for the team at this point is undiluted support from the entire nation.
‘’Let us get behind the squad to deliver. All of us here have opinions on who must represent our country’’ he said.
‘’Whether the player is your friend, brother or uncle, all of us here and beyond the confines of this premises have opinions. But at the end, Ghana decided on our own to give that mantle to Chris Hughton and the rest of the technical team that is why they are here’’.
‘’My plea to all of us is that once the squad is announced, the entire nation must get behind the squad. My plea, even if I have to kneel down and beg the entire country, I will do so, is that we have one senior men national team and this senior men national team is called the Black Stars and once the men for job are announced, they are our warriors’’.
‘’Let’s get behind the squad, let us leave behind us all the pre-announcement discussions and as Ghanaians let’s push and put our weight behind the men who have been picked to go to Cote D’Ivoire to fight for glory for our dear country’’.
‘’It is the only way the boys will feel the adrenaline levels of our country men and women. This is the only way they will then be very focused in delivering that target of envy’’.
‘’We all know that the performances of our dear team have not been too stable but this is the moment that the boys need our undiluted support. When the times are very difficult, when the times are very unstable, those are the times that they need your support, my support and the support of the entire country’’ President Simeon-Okraku added.
Ghana will be making her 24th appearance at Africa’s flagship competition in Cote D’Ivoire having lifted the title in 1963, 1965, 1978 and 1982. The Black Stars have finished second on three different occasions since their last win 1982 in Libya. Ghana lost to Cote D'Ivoire in the 1992 final, lost the title to Egypt in 2010 before suffering an excruciating loss to Cote D'Ivoire in 2015.
Ghana face Cape Verde, record holders Egypt and Mozambique in the Group stage of the tournament scheduled for Cote D'Ivoire from Saturday, January 13 - Sunday, February 11, 2024.
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