A comical blunder by Black Stars goalkeeper Richard Ofori during Ghana’s match against Mozambique has been highlighted in a short documentary released by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) focusing on the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The scene depicting Richard Ofori’s costly mistake, where he inadvertently touched a ball heading for a goal-kick, was prominently featured in the CAF documentary, released ahead of the tournament finals on Sunday, February 11, 2024.
Despite Ghana’s strong position to advance to the knockout phase of the AFCON, Richard Ofori’s goalkeeping error became a widely shared meme from the tournament.
Ofori’s decision to intervene with the ball instead of allowing it to go out for a goal-kick resulted in a corner kick for Mozambique during the final group B match.
Subsequently, Mozambique capitalised on the corner, scoring a goal that ultimately led to Ghana’s elimination from the tournament.
Richard Ofori faced criticism and threats following the mistake, although he reportedly explained the incident to a former Kotoko forward. Ofori attributed the error to the uneven nature of the pitch at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, where the game was held.
“He (Richard Ofori) has spoken to Maxwell Baako. They were teammates at Wa All Stars so they still have a good relationship. According to Baako, Ofori told him that the pitch was not good so the ball was often bouncing.
“He thought the ball came off one Ghanaian player so he wanted to catch it and prevent a corner kick. Some of the players begged him to leave it but before he could pull out, the ball bounced on the pitch and he scraped his hands, resulting in a corner kick. It was not deliberate,” he said.
The Black Stars ended their 2023 AFCON campaign without a victory, managing two draws and suffering one defeat in Group B.
They began with a disappointing 2-1 loss to Cape Verde in the tournament’s opening match. Subsequently, they secured 2-2 draws against Egypt and Mozambique in their second and final group-stage encounters.
Despite their efforts, the Black Stars garnered only two points and faced elimination from the tournament due to a goal deficit. This marks their second consecutive group-stage exit from the AFCON, following a similar outcome in the 2021 edition.
Following the disappointing performance in Ivory Coast, Chris Hughton has been dismissed by the Ghana Football Association.