Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) Communications Director Ibrahim Sannie Daara has urged the Black Stars to avoid complacency when they face Somalia in a decisive double-header in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Ghana will host both Matchday 3 and Matchday 4 fixtures, beginning with the first meeting at the Essipong Sports Stadium on Thursday, November 12. The return fixture is scheduled for Monday, November 16.
The Black Stars are under pressure after losing their opening two Group C matches against Ivory Coast and The Gambia. Those results have left the four-time African champions bottom of the group without a point, making the two matches against Somalia particularly important to their hopes of reaching the tournament.
Sannie Daara believes Ghana must respect their opponents, warning that Somalia have players capable of making the matches difficult.
“Black Stars must not underrate Somalia because they also have players playing in Europe and they could cause us problems if we are not careful,” he told Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show.
Although Ghana have struggled at the beginning of the campaign, Sannie Daara sees the two home fixtures as an opportunity to rebuild their qualification challenge. He said the team must make full use of playing both matches in Ghana by targeting victories in each game.
“These games have offered the team a chance to revive their AFCON qualifiers campaign because there is no away game. All games will be played in Ghana, so the Black Stars must take advantage of that and win both games to secure all six points,” he added.
Kim Lars Bjorkegren, who is leading the Black Stars’ interim technical team, is expected to name his squad for the two fixtures this week.
Sannie Daara has also called for player selection to be based solely on ability. He said the technical team should not be influenced by whether a footballer plays domestically or abroad, or by the league in which they are based.
“The right players must be called for these games. It does not matter whether the player is a local player or a foreign-based player. If that particular player is good enough to play for the Black Stars, he should be invited,” he said.
Ghana are seeking a return to the Africa Cup of Nations after failing to qualify for the 2025 edition in Morocco. The 2027 tournament will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
