AFCON 2023: Ghanaians urged to be patient with players who will be invited for qualifiers
Prosper Harrison Addo, the Ghana Football Association’s general secretary, has urged Ghanaians to be patient with players who will be invited for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
In Ghana, there has been a trend in recent years of players who have underperformed during their first appearances with the Black Stars receiving harsh criticism, but Addo believes that given the necessary time, players will improve.
Addo told Joy FM, “Anytime they [Ghanaians] see a player with the national team, [Ghanaians need to understand] the player has something [to offer], they should just exercise patience for them. I know with team building and everything, there are players who will come and may not gel [with the team] and [or] may not play well with the national team and fall off, but let’s embrace them as Ghanaians – It’s one of the things I learnt, when you are with the team you will feel and learn that sometimes the criticisms and the way it is put [affects them].”
“If you tell a player that he did not play the goal kick or the corner kick well, they are not offended but when you veer into personal stuff it gets to them and they feel [to a point] that they feel they are not Ghanaians…”
The Black Stars will begin their qualifying campaign in May, after being drawn in Group E alongside Madagascar, Angola, and the Central African Republic.
