Former Black Stars defender John Painstil downplays Ghana Afcon glory chances
Former Ghana defender John Painstil is not confident about the Black Stars chances of winning the Africa Cup of Nations this year.
Painstil, who represented Ghana at four Afcons, says the 28-man squad assembled by Milovan Rajevac does not have enough experience to end Ghana’s 40-year wait for the trophy in Cameroon.
“When he came in 2010, we were masters of our own and we were only taking instructions. But now that generation is not there. When you look at the team now, we only have Jonathan Mensah and Dede Ayew, which is not enough for any coach,” the former defender said.
“Milo [Rajevac] came because he loves Ghanaians and he knows the players will deliver for him. In some cases, no coach would have come and taken the job in such a crucial moment because it is Ghana we are talking about, a football-loving country.
“I said it was a crucial and wrong time because of the players he was coming to meet – players who had never been together, who had never played so many matches as a team, thinking that they had quality as a team but only quality as individuals, it was going to be difficult for him.
“But in all, if you look at what he has done in for the short period, it tells you that he is a great coach.”
Ghana is set to play Algeria in a friendly match on Wednesday before jetting off to Cameroon for the tournament which kicks off on January 9.
They have been drawn in Group C and will play Morocco, Gabon and debutants Comoros.
