Yusif Chibsah, a former Ghanaian international, has expressed his support for Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, captain of the Black Meteors, amid a dip in form during the ongoing U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Barnieh, who currently plays for Swiss club FC Zurich, has faced criticism for his lackluster performances, including being substituted in the opener against Congo and being dropped for the second game against Morocco.
As the crucial final Group A match against Guinea approaches, Chibsah believes it is unfair to single out underperforming players in Coach Tanko’s team at such a critical stage of the tournament.
Chibsah went on to explain that external factors, unrelated to football, can also impact a player’s form. He mentioned that Barnieh recently joined FC Zurich and needs time to adapt to the team’s style of play and adjust to a new country and environment.
He emphasized the importance of collective responsibility and not singling out individual players during challenging situations.
“It is a whole lot of factors that constitute a player being out of form or losing form,” he told Citi Sports.
“If you look at Afriyie Barnieh in the second game against Morocco, when he jumped in, those few minutes he was brought on, his runs were right; at least he did some few good things that showed that he is not entirely out of form.
“Like I said there are a whole lot of factors that contribute to a player’s dip in form, some of them might be external factors, not necessarily football related.
“He has had few minutes at club side [FC Zurich], he joined the club, a couple of months ago, he is new to them, and he needs to be integrated slowly, he needs to get used to the system play. It is a whole lot of factors.
“It would be unfair to the young man, to judge him outright over a couple of few months, joining a new team, a different country, and different people.
“He is not the only person at the tournament, we are there with 23 players, so if he is not in form as people think, there are other players that should be equally good to play and step up.
“For me, it is not a good sign to be singling out individual players in this situation.
“It is a team and it has to be a collective responsibility,” he added.
Ghana will face Guinea in a crucial must-win game at the IBN Matouta Stadium, with Barnieh aiming to deliver an improved performance.
During the previous season, Barnieh only played for eight minutes with FC Zurich and has yet to score a goal for the club.
