Assistant Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah is not bothered Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi’s assertions that the Black Stars have no chance of winning the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
Keshi is reported to have said the four-time African champions lack experience and that this could go against them in their fifth title chase.
However, coach Appiah told an Accra-based radio station Asempa FM that although he respects the Nigerian’s comment, Ghana have what it takes to live up to their favourites tag.
“In the first place, everyone has their right to air their opinions. In one way I see him [Keshi] as saying that we don’t have big name players,” Appiah said.
“The fact that we don’t have big-name players doesn’t mean that we can’t excel at the Africa Cup of Nations and win the tournament. These kinds of statements challenge our players to play above themselves and prove that big names don’t play football but your talent and ability to fight on the pitch will determine the result.”
“If you look at our team you will see that most of the players we took to the Nations Cup in 2010 that reached the final are still in the team These were the same team and players and the only African team that reached the quarter-final of the 2010 World Cup and most of them are part of the squad,” added the former Black Stars captain.