Former Ghana U-17 World Cup winner and Accra Hearts of Oak legend, Charles Allotey, has criticized the current Black Satellites squad for their lack of mentality and drive following their failure to qualify for the 2025 U-20 World Cup in Chile.
Ghana's hopes of qualifying were dashed after a heartbreaking 5-4 penalty shootout loss to Egypt, following a 2-2 draw in regular time. Allotey, reflecting on the performance, questioned the players' hunger for success, pointing out their lack of aggression and fight throughout the match.
"They weren’t angry enough for the cup, even though they were playing. When you looked at their faces, you could tell they weren’t fighting for it," Allotey remarked. "When Egypt scored the two goals, it came from our own mistakes."
The former Ghanaian star also pointed to complacency as a major factor in the team's exit. He believes the Black Satellites underestimated Egypt, assuming their opponents would be easy to overcome based on their previous performances in the tournament.
"After we equalized, why not push for a third goal and secure the win? But they became complacent and assumed they would beat Egypt. That’s not how competitions work. Every team you face in a tournament is a threat, and you need to be ready to beat them," he added.
Ghana's exit from the qualifiers means the Black Satellites have now failed to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup since 2015.
