Amidst the echoes of cheering crowds and the smell of freshly cut grass, we caught up with Andrews Sefa, a fervent sports enthusiast whose passion for the game and his country goes far beyond the surface.

Sefa’s journey in the world of sports is a testament to passion, hard work, and an unwavering spirit. In this interview, we delved into Sefa’s thoughts on Ghana’s prospects going into the AFCON. Get ready to step into Ghana’s chances through Sefa’s eyes.

As we kicked off our conversation, Sefa shared a background story on Ghana’s previous encounters in the AFCON, and he had a lot to say:

“Teeming with confidence 10 years ago were the Black Stars, who had made the last four of the Africa Cup Of Nations thrice on the trot, and were very much expected to replicate such a rich vein of form in South Africa or perhaps go all the way and clinch the ultimate in 2013. A decade after and there is a completely different narrative to what occurred then.”

He went on to highlight the recent lacklustre 0-0 draw between Ghana and Namibia, underlining the changes in dynamics over the past decade.

” There is a glaring disparity between Chris Hughton’s side and that of the team Kwesi Appiah led to South Africa 10 years ago. So much so that, the most recent encounter between Ghana and Namibia ended in a lacklustre 0-0 stalemate at the Kumasi Baba Yara sports stadium on January 8. The only similarity between the past decade and now is the prolonged trophy drought of Ghana. South Africa’s AFCON marked the 24th edition of the finals and the 31st year since the coveted AFCON trophy made its way to Ghana.”

Speaking about Hughton’s challenges, he noted, “Hughton has a tougher mandate on his hand, with the quest for an AFCON crown almost hitting the half-century mark. Little has been done on Ghana’s path to show the dogged determination needed to compete in the forthcoming finals in La Côte d’Ivoire. The recent draw adds further gloss to this statement. “

We then delved into the dynamics of the squad, discussing weaknesses:

“The fundamental liability of the Black Stars is their inability to transition with the ball, retain possession, and progress the ball upfield. Coupled with lapses of concentration in the defensive areas of the pitch and a constant recurring theme of giving away possession haphazardly.”

“Ghana often reverts to a 3 or 5-back system to cover their defensive frailties against attacking sides or in games where the Black Stars are least fancied to win. That particular strategy has backfired with notable losses against Mexico and Uruguay.”

Sefa expressed concern about the lack of a clear style of play despite Hughton being in charge for almost 12 months.

” A clear style of play for Hughton and his charges is yet not quite evident, despite Hughton being in charge of the team for close to 12 months

“If Ghana’s last performance at a major tournament is anything to go by then, certainly, Hughton will have a disgruntled Ghanaian fanbase to answer to.”

Moving on to expectations for Ghana in the tournament, we discussed the strength of the squad, emphasizing Kudus’ importance, the Ayews, and the overall team experience.

“The dependency on Mohammed Kudus has been glaring for Ghana in recent games, with the West Ham star being the go-to man for Ghana more often than not. But with Kudus nursing an injury which kept him out of Ghana’s preparatory fixture against Namibia, there will be jitters in certain parts of Ghana due to his goalscoring outputs for club and country. Kudus himself would be featuring at his first AFCON after nursing an injury and being an unused substitute in Ghana’s catastrophic group-stage elimination in Cameroon in the last edition.”

“One player who dominated the headlines in Cameroon was skipper, Andre Ayew, who extended his record as Ghana’s all-time top scorer at the AFCON with 10 goals. Although he is yet to have a run of games under his belt at the club level, Dede certainly adds a different dynamics to Ghana’s attack, with his dangerous presence in the box; one which has seen him score 9 out of his 10 goals from the penalty box.”

“From one Ayew to the other. Jordan would be an asset for the stars as his versatility means he could be deployed across the various front positions. Jordan who has vast AFCON experience will be looking to tee up forwards, Antoine Semenyo and Inaki Williams. He is currently enjoying his best assist output in the PL since joining Crystal Palace. One which the next player on the list, Iñaki Williams will be relishing.”

” Inaki finally got off the mark for Ghana with a late header from a Gideon Mensah cross to help Ghana overcome Madagascar by a slender 1-0 win in a FIFA World qualifying game last year. Iñaki is the highest-scoring African in La Liga, with 8 goals. He will be hoping to translate the same form into his debut AFCON.”

“Although Ghana boasts a roaster of stars, there is so much insufficiency in the team, with 19 of the final squad having no AFCON experience. Far beyond the expectations of the world was Ghana who surprisingly cantered to the bottom of their last AFCON group with a single point and were sent packing early; their worst AFCON in their history. It can not get any worse than the last, and Ghana should be able to get over the group and R16 hurdle comfortably this time. But may have to move from the western part of the country and move back home in the last 8.”

As we final whistle blows on our conversation with Andrews Sefa, it is apparent that his passion for his country and its performance in the AFCON 2023 is immense. Through his lens, we’ve gained a clear understanding of Ghana’s chances.

Here’s to countless more conversations from Sefa and Ghana’s perspective. Game on!