Black Stars head coach CK Akonnor, has dismissed concerns he is under enormous pressure to win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroon.
Ghana has not won the AFCON since 1982.
The Black Stars have been drawn in Group C of the AFCON 2021 alongside Cameroon, Gabon and Comoros.
Speaking to TV3 after the draw, Akonnor said he personally doesn’t feel any pressure to win the country’s 5th AFCON title.
“I think the draw is okay. I didn’t come here [to Cameroon] with expectations of which group I want to be in or not. Nowadays football is evolving and so you cannot expect weaker things.
“We are preparing feverishly for the tournament and the world cup qualifiers and I’m sure we will be ready,” he said.
“I am not under any pressure [to win the tournament]. You guys [the media] give me pressure back home but for me, I don’t care.”
The full #AFCON2021Draw. Some very interesting pairings. What’s the most difficult group here? No group of death this time? #Citisports pic.twitter.com/o6ANpCkA44
— Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo (@Fentuo_) August 17, 2021
The Black Stars will open their campaign on January 10 against Morocco, a side that beat them 1-0 in an international friendly in June.
“I think we had a strong friendly with Morocco a few months ago and thank God they are in our group. It gives us an idea of the opponent. I am thankful to the Ghana FA for organizing the friendly,” Akonnor added.
Ghana will face Gabon four days after the Morocco game before concluding their group stage games with a contest against Comoros on January 18 in Douala.