Management Committee Chairman of the Black Stars, Dr Randy Abbey, has revealed that his team was determined to restore the pride of the national side following Ghana’s failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
For the first time in over two decades, the Black Stars failed to make it to the continental tournament after finishing bottom of their qualifying group with just three points from six matches — without recording a single victory.
The setback led to the dissolution of the then Management Committee chaired by Ghana Football Association (GFA) Vice President, Mark Addo. A new committee was subsequently constituted, with Dr Randy Abbey appointed as Chairman, former Black Stars captain Stephen Appiah as Vice Chairman, and Moses Armah, Samuel Aboabire, and Dr Richard Nsenkyire serving as members.
Under the leadership of the newly assembled committee, Ghana bounced back to secure qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show, Dr Abbey admitted the task was daunting but said the group was motivated to change the team’s fortunes.
“It was a difficult time when we accepted to work as the Black Stars Management Committee, especially having failed to qualify for the AFCON, but we knew that we could turn it around once we got the support from the President [John Mahama] and the Sports Minister, Kofi Adams.
He added that key adjustments were made to strengthen the technical setup, which ultimately paid off.
“We tweaked the technical team; we were confident that it would work for us with the resources and expertise around. Failing to qualify for the AFCON was a big blow, and we could not underestimate it. With the World Cup coming up next, there was no way we were going to miss out on the World Cup, even though our performance at the AFCON had not been great, but there was no way we were going to miss out,” he added.
The Black Stars will learn their group-stage opponents for the 2026 World Cup on December 5.
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