Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Richard Ofori has become the latest player in the Ghanaian national team that has come out to apologise to his nation after a poor showing in the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Ghana was booted out in the group stage of the tournament, drawing with Mozambique in the last game of Group B, and going home with only two points.
Ofori, who was the nation’s captain as Andre Ayew was not starting, was at fault for the last goal scored by Mozambique, flapping the ball that was going out which led to a corner.
From that corner, Ghana was punished as Atletico Madrid left-back Reinildo rose highest to score the equaliser in the 94th minute, with Ghana dropping from second into third spot and ending the tournament with just two points.
“To the wonderful people in Ghana, I humbly extend my heartfelt apologies for our team’s performance at AFCON,” Ofori, whose starting role was questioned because he was not playing for his club Pirates, stated on social media.
“As a collective, we fell short. We gave our all in previous games, and it pains me that we couldn’t achieve the desired results in the end.
“I want to express our gratitude for your unwavering support and reassure you that we love God and are committed to learning from this experience.
“We promise to work harder, address our mistakes, and strive for a better outcome in the future. Your understanding means the world to us.”
Ofori joined the likes of Alex Djiku, Ernest Nuwamah, Mohamed Kudus, Mohamed Salisu, Joseph Pantsil, and Gideon Mensah, amongst others, who have all come out to apologise.
Ghana has now been botted out in the group stages in consecutive AFCONs after it was also the case in the 2021 edition in Cameroon.
Coach Christ Hughton has since been fired as Black Stars head coach.
Ghana have won the AFCON twice, the last however came in 1982 when they beat Libya on penalties. They were runners-up in 2010, losing to Egypt and in 2015 when they fell short on penalties against Ivory Coast.
The GFA, the Ghanaian football governing body along with the Sports ministry, have formed a technical committee that will headhunt a new national team ahead of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers and the resumption of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June.