Black Meteors defender David Oppong Afrane has attributed his side’s early exit from the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to the inclusion of foreign-based players.
Ghana’s Black Meteors failed to go beyond the group stage following their disappointing results in all three games at the tournament. They recorded a narrow win over Congo but lost 5-1 to Morocco before settling for a draw against Guinea which was not enough to propel to the next round.
Prior to the tournament, coach Ibrahim Tanko had begun camping with 22 local-based players at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Pramapram but were later joined by foreign-based players who were initially on duty with their various clubs.
According to the King Faisal centre-back the team had bonded well prior to the late addition of foreign-based players, which he believes damaged their chemistry.
“Our exit for me was caused by poor preparations and hard luck. During the qualifiers, most of the players were local-based but during the tournament, we were joined by many foreign players which affected team bonding and chemistry.
“Again, luck wasn’t on our side, I don’t agree that the countries in our group had more quality than us. Things just didn’t go well as planned,” David Oppong Afrane said in an interview.
He also refuted comments among Ghanaians suggesting that the players displayed unpatriotism at the tournament which is what landed them in the disappointment.
“All of us were very patriotic and dedicated, so I don’t know where the complaint that we didn’t have the nation at heart during the tournament is coming from. Serving your nation is an honour and we really appreciate that opportunity,” he added.
