Former Black Stars coach, CK Akonnor, has urged Ghanaians to be positive about the chances of the Black Stars and its Technical Team led by Otto Addo for this month’s FIFA World Cup.
“Otto Addo is our coach now,” CK said in a Prime Take interview on the Joy News channel which airs on Friday, November 4, at 7:10 am on the AM Show and Sunday at 9 pm.
“He’s got Didi Dramani, George Boateng and Chris Hughton. These guys are very knowledgeable, they understand the game; Chris is a huge guy in the Premier League, so definitely, they will help,” he stated.
“[George] Boateng, I was supposed to work with him when I was head coach so I had the chance of meeting him, in that same moment I met Chris and spoke to him.
“When you talk to them you can clearly see you are on the field already. They know what the game is about. They will help Otto Addo, and he will do well, so we should be positive.
“Even when we see negative stuff, let’s not dwell on it that much. If we go to the World Cup with a positive atmosphere surrounding the team, I believe we will do well,” he added.
Ghana’s buildup to the Mundial has been uninspiring. The team lost 3-0 to Brazil in a drab performance and not even a 1-0 win over Nicaragua could give aficionados of this team some hope, but Akonnor, who was in charge of the national team between January 2020 and September 2021, wants citizens to be confident.
“I think we should not panic,” CK says.
“We have been to the World Cup three times, and this is the fourth time we are going. We have played some of the best teams in the world and we are going to meet teams we have played before so we shouldn’t panic.
“If you lose to Brazil…yes 3-0 is a bit on a high but this is Brazil, the favourites to win the World Cup; we won against Nicaragua, not too convincing, but we won.
“It is positive for the team. Let’s pick on the positives; from now onwards, the idea of criticising, and saying negative things about the team should stop,” he admonished.
The Black Stars squad has been augmented with the inclusion of players like Inaki Williams, Mohammed Salisu, Tariq Lamptey, and many others. The former senior national team captain says they will help the team.
“The boys can do a lot,” he reckons.
“What is, however, unfortunate is that they have not had enough time to gel and they won’t get that before the tournament.
“The friendly matches against Brazil and Nicaragua showed that, but I believe there will be an improvement in the next friendly match [against Switzerland on November 17, 2022].”
Ghana is housed a group with familiar foes Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea. The team will begin camp on November 10, and leave for Qatar on November 18 for the World Cup.
The Black Stars will open its tournament return on November 24 against Portugal.