CK Akonnor identifies problem that led to Black Stars loss against South Africa

The head coach of the Black Stars of Ghana, CK Akonnor has identified one major problem that led to his side’s defeat at the hands of their South African opponents.

Following their victory over Ethiopia in the opening game of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Cape Coast last Friday, the Black Stars traveled to South Africa hoping to make it two out of two.

However, CK Akonnor didn’t have a full squad with some players being unable to travel as a result of Covid-19 restrictions.

Seven key players including Jordan Ayew, Daniel Amartey, Andy Yiadom, Baba Rahman, Jeffrey Schlupp, Daniel Kofi Kyereh and Kamaldeen Sulemana were unable to travel due to quarantine regulations in England, France and Germany, which demands players to quarantine for up to 10 days on return to their respective clubs from red listed countries.

Speaking after the Star’s 1-0 defeat, CK Akonnor identified the absence of these players as a challenge and indicated that he is unsure of FIFA and CAF are handling the issue well.

“The whole issue has been a problem, not just me but other national team coaches across the World. Today, you have a plan, tomorrow you wake up and a player has COVID-19 and he cannot join the team. Others are not allowed to join the team for the same reason,” Akonnor said.

“I don’t know if CAF and FIFA are handling the situation well because one may ask, can’t we play somewhere else if we cannot bring our players here. There are so many questions to answer and its not making us comfortable. It’s so difficult.

“We come under severe pressure from our nation, we have to win at all cost yet this COVID-19 issue has become a major setback and I don’t know if CAF and FIFA are handling the situation very well”.

The defeat means that the Black Stars have lost their first spot, with South Africa now going on top with 4 points after just two games.