David Oppong Afrane, the defender for Black Meteors, has candidly shared the challenges that the team faced during the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Morocco.
Afrane revealed that maintaining team cohesion became difficult due to the late addition of foreign-based players to the squad. While Ghana’s U-23 national team began the campaign with an impressive 3-2 victory over Congo, their momentum suffered a setback in the next match when they faced a heavy 5-1 defeat against the hosts, Morocco.
Following this loss, their chances of qualifying hinged on defeating Guinea in the final group stage game. However, they could only secure a draw against their West African neighbors, resulting in an early exit from the tournament.
The King Faisal center-back explained that the team had bonded well during their preparations. However, the late inclusion of foreign-based players disrupted the team’s chemistry, ultimately affecting their performance on the field.
“Our exit for me was caused by poor preparations and hard luck. During the qualifiers, most of the players were local-based, but during the tournament, we were joined by many foreign players which affected team bonding and chemistry,” Afrane said in an interview with Akoma FM.
