'We are focused on semi-finals'

Having qualified for the semi-finals of this year's African Cup of Nations, both players and handlers of the Black Stars say they will not be drawn into any talk of playing in the final, as they prefer to focus on the game against hosts, Equatorial Guinea on Thursday.

Moments after beating Guinea 3-0 at the Malabo Stadium to reach their fifth successive semi-finals of the AFCON, the pundits are already dreaming a Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire grand final, particularly after they had beaten favourites Algeria 3-1 last Sunday.

The Ivoirians are excited about that prospect, with Coach Renard Herve, obliging the media with "that will be a dream final," moments after his side qualified to face DR Congo in the first semi-final game tomorrow.

However, George Afriyie, the chairman of the Black Stars Management Committee, say that is only the wish of fans and pundits, but for team Ghana, the focus is on the immediate task ahead.

"We have been there before and we know how it feels, in the last five AFCON tournaments, we have always dreamt of the final when we still had a semi-final match to play. 

This time around, we don't want to dream, we want to be realistic, he told the Daily Graphic.

Mr Afriyie's opinion is shared by the president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi, who admitted that they were being guarded by the heartbreaks of the past.
"By the pairings of the semi-finals and on paper, it is easy for people to talk about Ghana playing Côte d'Ivoire in the final.

However, from our own painful experiences at the past five AFCONs, and what has happened at this competition, particularly, at the quarter-finals, we say, we are not there yet. We have just qualified for the semi-finals, and our preparation is geared toward that match.

Captain Asamoah Gyan and his assistant, Dede Ayew, who have been part of that disappointing story, stressed the same point, “we are taking it a game at a time".

Daily Graphic