Côte d’Ivoire won the AFCON because of Ghana’s mistakes - Kurt Okraku

Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku has claimed that Côte d’Ivoire’s triumph at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations was partly made possible by mistakes committed by the Black Stars during the tournament.

Ghana will renew their rivalry with the reigning African champions when the two sides meet in Group C of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, with the Black Stars set to begin their campaign away to Côte d’Ivoire.

Reflecting on the dramatic circumstances that saw Ghana fail to qualify for the knockout stages of the 2023 AFCON, Okraku recalled how the Black Stars were on course to progress from their group before a late collapse against Mozambique changed everything.

“Ghana was on our way out of the group to make it to the knockout stage. Then after four minutes, the score was 2-2 and Côte d’Ivoire, who were on their way home, found themselves back in the competition and they went all the way to become African champions,” Okraku said in an interview with 3Sports.

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Although he praised their recent resurgence, Okraku believes Ghana’s failure ultimately created an opportunity for the Ivorians, who went all the way to win the trophy in front of their home fans.

“Côte d’Ivoire have done well in the last few years. They were one of those few countries that benefitted from some of the mistakes we made to become African champions,” he added.



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