2023 AFCON: We considered camping in Ghana
Henry Asante Twum
The Communication Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Henry Asante Twum, has revealed that the technical team of the Black Stars considered Ghana and other countries to pitch camp.
The senior national team was expected to camp in South Africa ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) but after public backlash, the team will now camp in Kumasi.
According to him, pitching camp in Ghana was among a host of options for the team ahead of the tournament in Ivory Coast next year.
“When you are going into a tournament, a number of factors come in…I will be a big lie to say Ghana was not considered [as a camping base],” Asante Twum said on Joy Sports.
“There were a number of countries that we considered. Ghana was one, Togo was another, Cameroon, Benin and Equatorial Guinea before South Africa.”
He clarified that, the decision to go to South Africa was due to the technical team’s desire to have a serene environment to prepare the team.
“In choosing a place for camping, we considered having a serene atmosphere for the team…a serene and a destruction-free environment was the first major point,” he added.
“At the time we were taking the decision not to camp in Ghana, we did not have the opportunity to play any high-profile friendly games. If we were going to fly a team to come and play us, it meant we must pay.”
The decision to change plans from South Africa to Ghana also sees the team’s friendly game against Botswana cancelled.
Ghana, who has been housed in Group B alongside Egypt, Cape Verde and Mozambique will now open camp on January 2.