By Rihana Adam
Accra, Sept. 30, GNA – The Black Stars’ 4-2 defeat to The Gambia in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers has triggered strong criticism from some sports journalists and football commentators, with questions raised about the direction of the technical team.
Ghana surrendered a two-goal lead at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday, suffering its second consecutive defeat in Group C after an earlier 2-0 loss to Côte d’Ivoire.
The result leaves Ghana without a point from its opening two matches of the qualifying campaign.
Mr Dennis Attram, a journalist with Radio Universe, said the outcome was unexpected, particularly after Ghana had established a 2-0 advantage.
He said, “Looking at the game in totality, we did not expect a 4-2 defeat from the Black Stars. I think the coach will not help us as a team.”
He observed that The Gambia initially approached the match cautiously, allowing Ghana to dominate the opening exchanges before identifying weaknesses in the Black Stars’ approach.
According to him, The Gambia capitalised on those weaknesses to recover from the two-goal deficit and eventually secure victory.
Mr Attram said the defeat should raise concerns about Ghana’s prospects in the ongoing AFCON qualifying campaign, especially following the country’s failure to qualify for the previous AFCON tournament.
He said, “Ghana has played two matches, no points from a possible six, we cannot take this lightly.”
He called for a review of the technical leadership of the team, arguing that Ghana would face difficulties in its bid to qualify for the 2027 AFCON if the current situation persisted.
Mr Jacob Narbi of Accra FM also criticised the performance of the players, saying they should apologise to the supporters for the defeat.
He said the players appeared overly confident despite The Gambia’s fightback and described the result as a major disappointment for Ghanaian football supporters.
He said, “The team has disgraced Ghana too much, you are playing at home, and The Gambia defeats you 4-2, the Black Stars are playing with our emotions.”
Mr Narbi said supporters were waiting for the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and other football authorities to respond to the poor start to the qualification campaign.
He further raised concerns about public expenditure on the national team and called for accountability from the football authorities.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade