Ghana flaked out of the tournament after winning one match, a flinty 3-2 win over Congo. In their second group game they were thrashed 5-1 by host - Morocco and exited the competition following a nervy 1-1 draw with Guinea.
However, their appalling showing at the tourney angered many Ghanaians as they bare their teeth to question the loyalty of the lads whenever they wear the national team jersey.
But Oppong Afrane - who's a centre-back at King Faisal thinks otherwise, stating that the inclusion of the foreign-based youngsters caused their early exit from the competition.
“Our exit for me was caused by poor preparations and hard luck. During the qualifiers, most of the players were local-based but during the tournament we were joined by many foreign players which affected team bonding and chemistry," Oppong Afrane said in an interview with Kumasi-based Akoma FM.
“Again, luck wasn't on our side, I don't agree that the countries in our group had more quality than us. Things just didn't go well as planned.
“All of us were very patriotic and dedicated, so I don't know where the complaint that we didn't have the nation at heart during the tournament is coming from. Serving your nation is an honour and we really appreciate that opportunity,” he added.
By: Pascal Nii Gogo Amoah
