Questions have been raised in Ghana as the national team, the Black Star, begins preparations for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) 2023 tournament by pitching camp in South Africa.
The decision to train far away in Johannesburg rather than somewhere closer to the tournament host Ivory Coast has puzzled many football fans and pundits in Ghana.
As per the official communication from the GFA, the team will report to camp on the 31st of December 2023 and is expected to stay in camp for approximately ten days before they depart to the Ivory Coast for the tournament.
While some raise concerns about weather acclimatization, others have quickly blamed the Ghana Football Association for lack of financial discipline.
But according to GFA spokesperson Henry Asante Twum, the decision to prepare in South Africa was solely made by head coach Chris Hughton. However, the GFA approved the plans through the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
“I want to put on record that the decision to camp in South Africa is the sole decision of the coach,” Twum said as nobody is thinking about the influence of coaches in these kinds of situations.
“He made a proposal to the FA, and we approved it through the Youth and Sports Ministry. The decision to camp in South Africa wasn’t taken by Kurt Okraku but the head coach of the team.
“We have provided the needed support to the technical team since they took office and have always allowed them to work independently, so all the FA did was to grant them approval when they presented their proposal/plan to leadership.”
As part of preparation plans, the team will take on Botswana in a friendly encounter in Johannesburg, the GFA announced on Monday.
However, with the tournament just weeks away, basing in South Africa, to some Ghanaians, seems potentially problematic, given the long travel distance and logistics.
And many seem annoyed by the choice after learning that the Gambia’s national team, the Scorpions, are rather camping in Ghana to train and acclimatize before travelling to Ivory Coast, Ghana’s western neighbour.
However, critics argue the long journey south makes little sense when Ghana could have set up camp near the tournament venue and played warm up matches with fellow West African nations. With expectation high for the Black Stars to excel, Hughton will hope his unorthodox preparations pay off as Ghana chase their first Afcon title since 1982.
But the decision by the Black Stars to hold their training camp in South Africa ahead of the upcoming tournament in Ivory Coast has been met with skepticism by many in Ghana.
