AFCON 2023: GFA boss Kurt Okraku urges Ghanaians To support for Black Stars

Ghana Football Association (GFA) Kurt Okraku underscores the importance of rallying behind the Black Stars during challenging times, emphasising that this support is especially crucial ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Ivory Coast.

Addressing concerns over the team’s recent inconsistent results, which included a 1-0 victory over Madagascar secured in the 95th minute by Inaki Williams and a subsequent 1-0 loss to Comoros, Okraku urges unwavering national support.

“Let us get behind the squad to deliver. All of us here have opinions on who must represent our country,” he states, acknowledging the discussions surrounding player choices. “Whether the player is your friend, brother, or uncle, all of us here and beyond the confines of this premises have opinions. But at the end, Ghana decided on our own to give that mantle to Chris Hughton and the rest of the technical team, and that is why they are here.”

“My plea to all of us is that once the squad is announced, the entire nation must get behind the squad. Even if I have to kneel down and beg the entire country, I will do so,” he passionately asserts. “We have one senior men national team, and this senior men national team is called the Black Stars. Once the men for the job are announced, they are our warriors.”

President Simeon-Okraku urges Ghanaians to unite and throw their support behind the selected squad heading to Cote D’Ivoire for the Africa Cup of Nations. “It is the only way the boys will feel the adrenaline levels of our countrymen and women. This is the only way they will then be very focused on delivering that target of envy.”

Acknowledging the team’s fluctuating performances, he states, “We all know that the performances of our dear team have not been too stable, but this is the moment that the boys need our undiluted support. When the times are very difficult, when the times are very unstable, those are the times that they need your support, my support, and the support of the entire country.”

Ghana, with 24 appearances in Africa’s flagship competition, will face Cape Verde, record holders Egypt, and Mozambique in the Group stage of the tournament scheduled for Cote D’Ivoire from Saturday, January 13, to Sunday, February 11, 2024.

ghanasoccernet.com