Ignatius Osei-Fosu, assistant coach of Sudan, indicated that Ghana’s defeat to Angola in their first qualifying match effectively ended their hopes for the 2025 AFCON. Despite some successes, including Sudan’s advancement to the tournament and Ghana’s exit, Osei-Fosu expressed the emotional struggles shared by the Sudanese coaching staff due to their ties to Ghanaian football.
Ignatius Osei-Fosu, the assistant coach of the Sudan national team, has identified a pivotal moment that he believes determined Ghana’s unfortunate outcome in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. Osei-Fosu, who has a history of coaching in the Ghana Premier League, joined the Sudanese coaching staff under head coach Kwasi Appiah. The draw for the qualifiers placed Ghana and Sudan in the same group, where Sudan successfully advanced to the tournament, earning four points against Ghana, including a 2-0 victory in Morocco and a goalless draw in Accra.
The decisive match, according to Osei-Fosu, was Ghana’s first qualifier against Angola, which ended in a 1-0 loss due to a critical defensive error by Abdul Mumin. He stated, “Losing in Kumasi to Angola, I think that was the end of the qualifiers for Ghana. Once you lose a home game, it becomes very difficult to recover. On any day, Ghana would have won that game against Niger in Morocco, but because we had already lost a game in Ghana, we were desperate to win at all costs. And playing with that kind of pressure is tough.” This exacerbated their situation and diminished their chances.
The emotional toll of Ghana’s struggles has been particularly challenging for Osei-Fosu and his compatriots on the Sudanian coaching staff, including goalkeeping coach Fatau Dauda. Osei-Fosu acknowledged the emotional complexities they face, expressing that, “People have no idea how we feel when things go wrong. We really feel it. For Kwasi Appiah, it’s even harder because he’s an Executive Council (ExCo) member. It’s huge for him to sometimes even accept that Ghana has lost a game.”
Since Appiah’s appointment in October 2023, he has led the Sudanese team back to the AFCON for the first time since 2013, while Sudan maintains a strong position in the CAF World Cup qualifiers, currently leading Group B with ten points.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers represent a critical competition for national teams in Africa, determining participation in the prestigious tournament. The Ghanaian national football team, known as the Black Stars, has a storied history in African football but faced significant challenges during this qualifying rounds. The Sudan national team, under the leadership of former Black Stars coach Kwasi Appiah, has successfully made its way back to the AFCON, highlighting a juxtaposed journey between the two teams in this campaign.
In summary, Ignatius Osei-Fosu’s insights illuminate the challenges faced by Ghana in the recent AFCON qualifiers, particularly emphasizing the significance of their early loss to Angola. The psychological ramifications of losing a home game are profound, complicating subsequent matches and increasing pressure. Furthermore, the emotional struggle faced by the Sudan coaching staff, comprised largely of Ghanaians, underscores the interconnected nature of African football.
Original Source: www.ghanaweb.com
