You are here: HomeCountry2019 05 03Article 743492

Sports News of Friday, 3 May 2019

Source: goal.com

Winning the Afcon is an achievable target for Ghana - George Afriyie

The Black Stars are aiming to end their 37-year wait for another AFCON title The Black Stars are aiming to end their 37-year wait for another AFCON title

Former Ghana Football Association vice president George Afriyie says James Kwesi Appiah's reign as coach of the Black Stars should not come to an automatic end should the team fail to win the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Egypt.

Ghana are set for a mission to claim their fifth continental title at the June 21 to July 19 championship following a series of near-misses in recent years.

Having lifted the last of their four trophies in 1982, there is ever-increasing pressure on Appiah to bring home the title in his second stint in charge of the national setup.

“Targets are set to be fulfilled but the fact that you are not able to achieve the target does not necessarily mean that they will show you the exit door," Afriyie told Oman FM.

"Those were his targets and I still stand by it.

"I don’t want us to rule ourselves out. We can still win the Afcon.

"It’s possible and it's an achievable target."

At the Afcon, Ghana have made the semi-final of the last six tournaments. They reached the final in 2010 and 2015. Ghana have been drawn against defending champions Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau in Group F.

Appiah's second Ghana spell began in May 2017 after earlier leading the Black Stars between 2012 and 2014. He was sacked after the team's first-round exit from the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil.

For his second tenure, the 58-year-old's main task, set by the Ghana Football Association at a time when Afriyie was at his post as vice president, is to win this Afcon in Egypt.