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Shock loss to minnows piles pressure on Ghana coach Rajevac

Black Stars' first-round exit sends shockwaves at Afcon

Sihle Ndebele Journalist
Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac.
Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac.
Image: Thaier Al-Sudani

There have been a few surprises at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Cameroon, but Ghana’s 3-2 defeat to one of the tournament's debutants, Comoros, on Tuesday tops it all.

The shock defeat at the hands of the islanders meant Ghana, the four-time champions, aren’t advancing to the knockout phase of this major continental showpiece. This is Black Stars’ first group-stage exit since 2006.

The situation was a bit better when Ghana bowed out early in the 2006 edition, hosted by Egypt, because they finished third in their pool. They accumulated just three points through beating eventual group runners-up Senegal. They lost the other two games to Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

In fact, in Egypt, Ghana were level on three points with the Lions of Teranga but the latter’s superior goal difference enabled them to progress even though the Black Stars had won the head-to-head tussle after beating them 1-0, their only victory of the competition.

This time around, the Black Stars exited without winning, with two defeats and a draw, hence finishing bottom of the log with a measly one point. Many Ghanaians have already called for the team to be reshuffled going forward . Others want coach Milovan Rajevac, whose contract expires in September, to resign.

The Serb, who famously guided Ghana to the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup in SA, has sounded reluctant to abandon the sinking Black Stars ship, maintaining he'll take the nation to the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

"I will not resign, because I came here to take Ghana to the World Cup. I will stay and lead Ghana in the World Cup qualifiers in March,’’ said Rajevac as per the Guardian.

"I believe we have a team that can become stronger and get to the World Cup. I took this job with the aim of taking Ghana to the World Cup.’’

Meanwhile, Algeria could be the next powerhouse to exit Afcon early. The defending champions are bottom of Group E with just one point from two games, needing to beat Group leaders Ivory Coast when they meet today (6pm SA time) in order to go through.

Today’s fixtures

Sierra Leone v Equatorial Guinea (6pm); Ivory Coast v Algeria (6pm); Gambia v Tunisia (9pm); Mali v Mauritania (9pm).

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