The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has tasked newly appointed Black Stars Coach, Avram Grant to rebuild the senior national team with the main aim of winning the 2017 African Cup of Nations with a declaration that winning or failing to win the 2015 edition, scheduled to be held in Equatorial Guinea will not be one of the benchmarks based on which the new coach will be assessed.

This objective was revealed by the Football Association during a Press Conference held after its Executive Committee Meeting on Thursday addressed by among others, the President of the Association, Kwasi Nyantakyi.

The Association disclosed that in hiring Avram Grant, it had found it necessary to task him to rebuild the team for the future, especially following the Brazil 2014 World Cup and that such a rebuilding exercise, will not be a sudden event but a process which may last many months.

With this objective in mind, the Association has set for the new Coach, a target to win the 2017 African Cup and to build a team capable of qualifying to the 2018 World Cup.

“To ask the Coach to win the 2015 African Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea will not be realistic, judging from the task ahead and the fact that the competition starts in less than 2 months from now. If we are able to win, we will be happy but we will not use failure to win 2015 to sack him since that is not the main target for him. The objective we have set for him is for him to rebuild the team into one that can win the 2017 AFCON”, Kwasi Nyantakyi said.

Ghana is coincidentally bidding to host the 2017 African Cup of Nations, which will be 9 years after the country last hosted the coveted Continental Showpiece.

Ghana is four-time winners of the African Cup of Nations, but last won the title in 1982. However, despite the failure to win the title in recent years, performances of the Black Stars have significantly improved in the tournament compared to the mid and late 80s and the 90s. Ghana