Stephen Appiah concerned by the lack of commitment in current Black Stars team
By Lukman MUMIN, Accra
Former Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has blamed the Black Stars recent struggles on lack of commitment from the players.
The four-time African champions have struggled at major competitions in the last three years, failing to go beyond the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021 and 2023 and the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
The Black Stars picked only a point in their opening two games of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, losing at home for the first time in 24 years in the game against Angola before a draw against Niger in Morocco.
“Players who come to the national team have to be committed. I am not seeing that. They have to be committed because out of a population of 30-something million, you are part of a select 23. It is an honour. You are representing Ghana and you must make it worthwhile,” he told the Parliamentary select committee on sports.
“For the past five years we are struggling, we are not seeing things like that (commitment). You can be a good captain, it doesn’t mean you can win games. When you and your colleagues have the same goal, that is when you win,” he added.
The Black Stars will face Sudan in a two-legged game next month in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
