AFCON 2023: Ghana was among the countries considered for Black Stars camping – Henry Asante Twum
The Communication Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Henry Asante Twum, says the technical team of the Black Stars considered several countries to pitch camp.
According to him, pitching camp in Ghana was among a host of options for the team ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations to be staged in Ivory Coast.
The GFA changed its plans to camp the team in Johannesburg after pressure from the public with the team now set to camp in Kumasi.
“When you are going into a tournament, a number of factors come in…I will be a big lie to say Ghana was not considered [as a camping base],” Asante Twum said on Joy Sports Game Plan.
“There were a number of countries that we considered. Ghana was one, Togo was another, Cameroon, Benin and Equatorial Guinea before South Africa.”
He clarified that the decision to go to South Africa was due to the technical team’s desire to have a serene environment to prepare the team.
“In choosing a place for camping, we considered having a serene atmosphere for the team…a serene and a destruction-free environment was the first major point,” he added.
“At the time we were taking the decision not to camp in Ghana, we did not have the opportunity to play any high-profile friendly games. If we were going to fly a team to come and play us, it meant we must pay.”
The decision to change plans from South Africa to Ghana also sees the team’s friendly game against Botswana cancelled.
