Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams says Ghana’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying defeat by The Gambia was difficult to accept, but remains confident the Black Stars will reach the tournament.
Ghana’s hopes of returning to the continental competition in East Africa suffered an early blow after they failed to win either of their opening two Group C matches.
The Black Stars opened their campaign with a 2-0 loss to Ivory Coast in Bouake. They then surrendered a two-goal advantage against The Gambia before eventually suffering a 4-2 defeat at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Those consecutive losses have left Ghana bottom of the group without a point and placed pressure on the team to improve their results in the remaining qualifiers.
The disappointing start was followed by the departure of head coach Carlos Queiroz, who left his post after the two defeats.
Adams, who is also the Member of Parliament for Buem, said Ghana’s loss to The Gambia had been especially hard to watch.
“I must admit that nobody would want to be in my situation when the Black Stars played against The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium,” he told Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme.
“It was difficult to watch the team lose. I could not believe what happened, but I am convinced the team will qualify for the AFCON tournament,” he added.
Ghana will attempt to revive its qualifying campaign next month when the Black Stars play Somalia in their Matchday Three and Four fixtures.
Both matches are scheduled to be held at the Accra Sports Stadium. The team will be managed by an interim technical team announced jointly by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation.
The four-time African champions must collect improved results in the remaining matches if they are to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.