Ghana coach Robert Amartey vows to fix mistakes after opening-day losses to Egypt

Ghana men's table tennis coach Robert Amartey has called for improvements from his players after both the U-15 and U-19 boys' teams suffered defeats to Egypt on the opening day of the ITTF-Africa Youth Championships in Accra.

The U-15 boys lost 3-1 to the North Africans, while the U-19 team fell to a 3-0 defeat in another challenging encounter.

Reflecting on the performances, Amartey admitted his players showed promise but were let down by costly mistakes.

"Today we played against Egypt. The U-15 boys lost 3-1. The boys played well, but we made a lot of mistakes. Now we need to correct them," he said in an interview with Sporty FM on July 21, 2026.

The coach is now focused on Ghana's next U-15 fixture against Benin, insisting victory is crucial if the team is to keep its qualification hopes alive.

"We will play Benin in the second match. My hope is to beat Benin so that Ghana and Egypt can qualify," he added.

Turning his attention to the U-19 side, Amartey said the team must bounce back strongly against Côte d'Ivoire after their 3-0 loss to Egypt.

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"We are going to battle with Côte d'Ivoire. We need a win. Whatever we do, we need a win. We have to beat Côte d'Ivoire so that we can qualify with Egypt."

Despite the disappointing results, the Ghana coach remained optimistic, stressing that the team would return to the training hall to address the errors made against Egypt.

"We are going back to our drawing board to correct the mistakes we made. Although they played well, if you play well and lose, it is the win that we need at the end of the game."

Ghana will now look to recover in their remaining group matches as they continue their quest for qualification at the ITTF-Africa Youth Championships.

PAH/AM

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