Black Stars head coach, Chris Hughton has sounded off on the importance of Ghana securing qualification to the upcoming CAF African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Next year’s tournament takes place in the Ivory Coast and Ghana is in the running to qualify for the tournament.
The Black Stars lead Group E with nine points ahead of second-ranked Angola on eight points and Central African Republic on seven points.
Ghana takes on CAR on September 3 in Kumasi, and either a win or a draw secures the Black Stars’ spot in Ivory Coast.
Speaking in an interview with talkSPORT, Hughton stated: “At this moment, we are top of the group but it’s quite tight. Certainly, [we] need either a win or a draw. It’s a vibrant city [Kumasi] and they will turn out in their thousands, so it’s a big game for us. Ivory Coast of course is the host of the AFCON in January and of course we very much need to be there.”
Ghana delivered its worst performance in AFCON history by crashing out of the 2021 AFCON at the group stage without registering a win, losing 2-3 to minnows Comoros in the deciding game.
Ghana Coach Chris Hughton responding to he getting a statue if he wins AFCON in Ivory Coast next year.
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— Juliet Bawuah (@julietbawuah) August 1, 2023