Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams says he has provided the support required ahead of Ghana’s decisive 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Somalia.
The Black Stars will play Somalia on November 12 and 16 in Matchdays 3 and 4 of the qualifying competition. Both fixtures will be staged at the Essipong Sports Stadium in Sekondi.
Ghana are under pressure after defeats by Ivory Coast and The Gambia in their opening two Group C matches. The four-time African champions have yet to collect a point and are seeking to revive their campaign after failing to qualify for the previous AFCON tournament in Morocco.
Adams said his role had been to engage with the players and provide the necessary backing, while responsibility for preparing the team for the matches rested with the technical staff and management.
Speaking to Channel One Sports, he said he was confident the coaching team could bring the squad together and ensure the players were ready for the two fixtures.
“We have been engaging and I believe that I like the psychology of the individual players. I believe that the technical team and the management should be able to put them in the collective spirit for the game. That is their work,” he said.
The minister, who is also the Buem MP, said he would now leave the football-related preparations to those directly responsible for the team.
“As Minister, I’ve done what I’m supposed to do. I want to leave the rest for the technical people to also perform their responsibility,” Adams added.
The two matches in Sekondi represent Ghana’s opportunity to recover from a difficult start to the qualifying programme. Having lost both of their first two games, the Black Stars need a change in results against Somalia to improve their position in Group C.
Victory in both matches would give Ghana a significant lift in their bid to reach the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. The back-to-back fixtures also give the team the chance to respond immediately after the early setbacks against Ivory Coast and The Gambia.
With the minister stating that his responsibilities have been completed, attention now turns to the technical team and management to prepare the players for the two encounters. Ghana will begin the double-header on November 12 before meeting Somalia again on November 16, with both games taking place at the same venue.
