Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) president, Kwesi Nyantakyi, has called on the current Kurt Okraku-led administration to issue an unqualified apology to Ghanaians for the disappointing performance of the Black Stars in Ivory Coast.
The national team faced an early exit from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), exiting at the group stage for the second time. Ghana suffered a defeat to Cape Verde and secured draws against Egypt and Mozambique, finishing third in Group B with two points.
In response to whether the Football Association should apologize, Nyantakyi, a former 1st CAF Vice President, emphasized the FA's responsibility to issue an apology.
"The national team does not belong to the Football Association. They are keeping it for the state, and remember the government gives the FA money to take care of the team, so it must be done," stated Nyantakyi on GTV Sports Plus.
"I have done it over and over when I was there as the Ghana Football Association president, so they must apologize, and I think Ghanaians are entitled to that. We apologized in 2010 and 2015 after we failed to win the AFCON," he added.
Following the Black Stars' disappointing AFCON campaign, which led to the dismissal of head coach Chris Hughton, the GFA has announced a five-member committee to search for a new coach for the national team.
Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kwesi Nyantakyi has called on the current Black Stars squad to showcase resilience and embody a strong sense of national pride following their elimination from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Expressing his thoughts on GTV Sports Plus, Nyantakyi, a former FIFA Executive Council member, expressed disbelief at the team's performance, resulting in their exit after finishing third in Group B with two points.
In his address, Nyantakyi emphasized the significance of instilling a sense of national duty in the players, urging them to play with pride and belief when representing the Black Stars.
Highlighting the need for additional support, he recommended the introduction of a psychologist to assist in the players' mental preparation. Nyantakyi stressed the importance of collaborative efforts between the Football Association and the government to prioritize this initiative.
"Black Stars players must understand that representing your country is like going to a war. You can die in it, and they must understand that," he asserted.
"I believe we need to instill that into the players when they are playing for the Black Stars; they must have that pride and belief.
"We should also bring in a psychologist to help the players, and this must be insisted on by the Football Association and government," he added.
Drawing inspiration from Namibia's remarkable resilience and performance, Nyantakyi underlined the need for the Black Stars to emulate such qualities.
"I watched Namibia, and I could not believe their resilience and how they played."
Ghana initiated their AFCON campaign with a 2-1 loss to Cape Verde, followed by two consecutive 2-2 draws in their final group stage matches.
Ghanaian defender Daniel Amartey has dismissed allegations suggesting that he removed his Black Stars pictures from Instagram due to frustration over limited playing time during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast.
Reports circulating during Ghana's AFCON group stage matches implied that Amartey was dissatisfied with Coach Chris Hughton's choice of other center-backs over him.
Despite a search on Instagram revealing an account with Daniel Amartey's name and verification badge, devoid of pictures in a Black Stars jersey, the former Leicester City player clarified in an interview with Happy FM that the account does not belong to him.
Amartey categorically refuted accusations that he deleted Black Stars pictures out of anger for not being in the playing XI. He emphasized the childish nature of such an action and pointed out his infrequent Instagram posts.
“Why will I get angry and delete my Black Stars pictures from pictures? That will be childish. I was not angry when I was not playing. That was the decision of the coach. People who follow me will know I barely post on Instagram,” stated Daniel Amartey.
In addition, the Black Stars defender affirmed his ongoing commitment, expressing readiness to give his best whenever called upon to serve the national team.
Daniel Amartey, Ghana's defender, has affirmed his unwavering commitment to representing his country, expressing dedication to the Black Stars whenever he receives an invitation.
A member of Ghana's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Amartey, unfortunately, witnessed the Black Stars' elimination at the end of the group stage.
Despite not securing a starting spot in any of the three tournament games, Amartey reassures that this poses no issue for him. He emphasizes his desire for the best outcomes for Ghana and pledges readiness to contribute in any capacity to the Black Stars.
In a conversation with Happy FM, the former Leicester City player extended an apology to the Ghanaian supporters and conveyed gratitude for their backing during the group stage matches at the 2023 AFCON.
“I love Ghana, and whenever I am invited, I will come and play. We thank Ghanaians for supporting us. We are sorry things didn’t go as we wanted. All we can say is we thank them for supporting us,” shared Daniel Amartey.
One of Ghana's best players at their disastrous 2023 AFCON campaign undoubtedly, is Majeed Ashimeru, who has this morning released a statement to thank the teeming fans of Ghana throughout their stay in Cote D'Ivoire.
Former Black Stars midfielder, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu isn't happy with the team's performance in the last game against Mozambique and stated they played with no motivation.
Ghana needed a win to qualify but sadly gave away a two goal and conceded two at the death of the game to play out a 2-2 stalemate with Mozambique in their final group game.
The draw means the four-time champions ended the campaign with just points from a defeat and two draws and finished third in Group B.
This is the second consecutive time Ghana are suffering a group stage eviction at the AFCON after what happened in 2021 in Cameroon.
Agyemang Badu, who was very optimistic Ghana will prevail in Cote D'Ivoire prior to the tournament, feels lack of character, confidence and communication is the reason of the team's early elimination.
He added that, the players didn't show any commitment and played as if there was nothing at stake.
"The team lacked concentration, communication, character and confidence. Normally, when you have confidence, character and you are able to concentrate and communicate well, it helps as a team”
“A good communication can help save a point. Anyone who watched Mauritania’s game against Algeria can detect that the character of the Mauritanians was what Ghana were lacking, because you could see they are fighting, running and doing everything to get the points. The team lacked confidence because after taking the lead against Mozambique things turn upside down, you could there was nothing at stake for the players” he ended
The Black Stars players will return to their respective clubs and will regroup again to take Mali on June 5, in their third game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
