GHANA coach Kwesi Appiah has tasked his players to etch their names in the country’s football folklore by winning the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
The ex-Ghana captain leads his side to face an impressive Burkina Faso side in today’s semi-final clash in Nelspruit.
The Black Stars will be seeking qualification to the grand-finale after being shocked by Zambia at the last edition in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Appiah, a member Ghana’s 1982 Nations Cup winning, said at a press-match conference Tuesday that his players must punch above their weight.
“I keep telling the players that I was lucky to be one of the players that played in 1982 that won the cup,” Appiah said.
“My name is written in the books in Ghana as a medal winner. They also need to write their names and for me.
“It’s one of the major motivational factors that all the players also want to get their names written so that in future they can boast that they were part of the team that won in South Africa. That’s something they are looking up to.”
Ghana comes up against the Stallions who have recorded two draws and two victories in the tournament.
The Black Stars beat the Stallions 1-0 in Angola three years ago in a final Group match.
Meanwhile, Ghana could not train on the ragged and bumpy pitch at the Mbombela Stadium before their semi-final clash against Burkina Faso today.
The Confederation of African Football has prevented the four-time champions from training there so as to keep the turf in good shape for the match.
Burkina Faso who have played all their matches in the tournament on the pitch, which has been condemned by some countries and star players.
The Black Stars arrived in Nelspruit on Monday and have since been training at the Ingwenyama Conference & Sports Resort.
“Unfortunately, we have been informed that we cannot have our training sessions on the match pitch,” Ghana coach, Kwesi Appiah told journalists.
Appiah does not believe being familiar with a football pitch can influence the outcome of a match.
“I normally don’t believe in the idea that is a good pitch or this is a bad pitch. The most important thing is it is not you alone going to play on the pitch.