In a recent straw poll conducted by football writer and analyst Joel Bortey, 60 Ghanaian sports journalists participated, expressing their opinions and predictions for the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, set to kick off in Ivory Coast in just three days.
Following the announcement of the 27-man squad on January 1, 2024, Chris Hughton’s team has been in a training camp in Kumasi, gearing up for their departure to Ivory Coast on January 10.
There has been significant speculation and discussion among football enthusiasts regarding the Black Stars’ prospects, particularly in light of their disappointing performance in the previous edition, where they exited the tournament without securing a victory for the first time in history.
As part of the ongoing evaluation to gauge improvements in the current squad in comparison to the previous edition, a decisive 88.3 percent of sports journalists have conveyed their optimism.
They cast their votes in favour of the Black Stars advancing beyond the group stage in the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Notably, the group consists of formidable opponents such as Egypt, Cape Verde, and Mozambique. This resounding endorsement reflects a prevailing confidence among sports journalists in the team’s enhanced capabilities, signalling an expectation for a superior performance in the upcoming tournament.
“The new structure of the AFCON makes it really difficult to be eliminated from the group stages. Ghana’s squad has more quality this time and worst-case scenario, they should make it one of the best third-placed teams,” a sports journalist said anonymously.
In the 2023 football calendar, the Black Stars won only four out of nine games, with a 3-1 victory over Liberia being their biggest and their worst loss being a devastating 4-0 scoreline in favour of the USA.
Many supporters of the Black Stars were furious when the senior national team lost 1-0 to the Comoros, who are ranked 119th in the FIFA rankings. Despite it being a one-goal loss, it is seen as humiliating for a nation like Ghana.
Contrary to the earlier opinion, seven out of the sixty sports journalists voted for the national team to exit the competition after their final group game.
“I only see the Black Stars winning one game out of the group they find themselves in. The current squad is 80% similar to the squad that faced Comoros on November 21, 2023. If they lost 1-0, I don’t see how they win against Cape Verde in their group opener and Egypt in the second fixture.” Another sports journalist said anonymously.
Considering the outcome of 2023, it came as a big surprise as 40% of sports journalists voted for Ghana to exit the Africa Cup of Nations at the quarter-final stage.
“Despite the absence of Thomas Partey, Ghana has enough quality to make a good one in the competition. There is only a handful of teams better than the Black Stars in terms of individual players. With Mohammed Kudus and Inaki Williams in the side, there is a lot of hope.”
History seems to be on the side of the four-time champions. Since making its debut in the competition in 1963, Ghana has been to the Quarter-final stage at least 17 times in 23 appearances at the Africa Cup of Nations.
