A dicey group Ghana can’t joke with!
Come January 14 to February 5, next year, the Africa Nations Cup in Gabon will be interesting to watch, we dare anticipate.
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This is borne out of the manner in which the power blocs in Africa football appear to have been evenly distributed among the four groups from which the 16 teams will start the continental championship (see page 14).
By some coincidence we find strange to relate, Ghana and Egypt, the two countries with notable successes at the AFCON (four and seven, respectively), are drawn in the same group.
In fact, Cameroun, also four-time winners, will be stepping out from their group to rival Ghana for a fifth title feat.
One other coincidence that cannot be ignored is the drawing of Uganda along with Ghana and Egypt, the same sides that are currently involved in the 2018 World Cup African group qualifiers.
It is against this backdrop that we feel some sense of pressure coming to bear on this particular group, which also has Mali, for the AFCON qualifiers.
Indeed, the thought of Ghana meeting Uganda and Egypt in both the AFCON and the World Cup qualifiers should drive the technical and management teams of the Black Stars into extraordinary measures.
Just recently, Ghana dropped vital home points against the Uganda Cranes in their AFCON first leg qualifier, a result that has raised the ire of many Ghanaians.
The fear is that in the unlikely event of Ghana losing away to Egypt in the next match of the group, the Pharaohs would have built an unassailable lead, having beaten Congo away in Brazzaville in their first match.
Such a development, it is further feared, could get replicated in the World Cup group qualifiers, thereby making the prospects dire for Ghana.
And it will be too hard for Ghanaians to take a situation where the Stars will miss out on both the continental and the global tournaments for Egypt and Uganda, we dare surmise.
It is that kind of uneasiness which is driving the instigation against the Stars’ coach, Avram Grant, to put or quit in midstream.
But we want to agree with Augustine Arhinful that such thought of sacking Coach Grant should be banished for him to see out his contract.
Indeed, Grant needs no telling that it is time he woke up from his slumber to give Ghana a dramatic lift from the apparent slide to the precipice.
And we know Grant can turn things around for Ghana, with such a feat earning him an unrivalled status in Ghana’s football history.
