Godwin Ablordey, a former midfielder for Asante Kotoko and King Faisal, believes that the true assessment of Ghana’s head coach, Chris Highton, can only be made at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations if Ghana successfully qualifies for the tournament.
Ablordey, who currently serves as the assistant coach of King Faisal FC, a team that was relegated from the 2022/23 Ghana Premier League season, argues that Hughton has not been in charge of enough matches to make a fair assessment, as the matches played so far have been qualification games.
Although Highton faced criticism from fans after the recent 0-0 draw against Madagascar in the qualifying match, Ablordey believes it is premature to criticize the Black Stars’ trainer.
“We can only properly assess the coach at the AFCON tournament if we qualifies. How many games has he played now? I think three and these are qualification games,” Godwin Ablordey said to Kumasi-based Fox FM.
He suggests that it is necessary to wait until the AFCON tournament to judge Highton’s work, provided Ghana secures qualification. Ablordey emphasizes the importance of the tournament for Ghana, as they have not won the African Cup for a significant period of time.
“But if Ghana qualifies for the tournament then we can use the AFCON to judge his work because that is what we need most. We have not won the African Cup for a very long time.
In conclusion, Ablordey urges patience with the coach and suggests that the AFCON will be the appropriate platform to evaluate his performance if Ghana successfully qualifies for the tournament.
“So I think we should be patient with him and see what happens at the AFCON if we are able to make it,” he added.
