Black Stars forward Joseph Paintsil has admitted that the team is in a challenging situation following their failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Ghana missed out on AFCON qualification for the first time in 21 years after a dismal six-game winless run left them at the bottom of Group F with just three points. Angola and Sudan secured the group’s top two spots, earning tickets to next year’s continental showpiece in Morocco.
Paintsil, currently in Ghana for holidays, noted that many teams have improved significantly and are no longer pushovers.
“This is football. Now, all nations are really good. It’s not like 10 years ago when you might meet another team and say, “Oh, we’re going to score them five or four.”
“It’s a difficult situation now, and everybody’s playing in Europe. So, you cannot say, “This team is bad. This national team is bad.” The more you think that, the more they surprise us.
“As you can see, we were surprised by a lot of teams. But you know, it happens. We just ask Ghanaians to always support us no matter what happens. We need to go through everything together.”
Coach Otto Addo, who oversaw the qualifiers, faces mounting pressure, with his future yet to be decided by the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
This marks Ghana’s first AFCON absence since 2004.
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