Afriyie Acquah on Sports Check

Widely regarded as one of the very few senior players left in what is basically a new-look Black Stars squad, Ghana midfielder Afriyie Acquah takes his turn on Sports Check with Ghanaweb sports editor, Daniel Oduro.

Acquah, a mercurial box-to box midfielder, who plies his trade for Italian Seria A side Torino, has mostly being in the news for all the wrong reasons - notably his marital issues - but he tells Ghanaweb, that his inherent strong personality and unwavering believe in God has kept him going in the most difficult periods of his life.

He confesses that like many of us, he’s made a lot mistakes in life, but has learned valuable lessons from them and is determined to become the best version of himself.

Only a few weeks ago, Acquah and two other senior players of the Black Stars were accused of deserting and refusing to travel with the Black Stars for the last two friendly games against Japan and Iceland due to a slash in the bonus package for those games, but the former Palermo player says there is no iota of truth in those allegations and accusations.

And in the midst of all the uncertainty that surrounds Ghana football in the aftermath of the Anas exposé which has revealed the deep-seated corruption in the Ghanaian game and which has led to the resignation of Kwesi Nyantakyi as GFA President, Acquah says he is optimistic the Black Stars will come out unaffected as the team attempts to qualify for and win the next AFCON in 2019.

Speaking about the Africa Cup of Nations, Acquah speaks painfully of the 2015 Cup of Nations final where Ghana lost to Ivory Coast after a marathon penalty shoot-outs. The midfielder who missed his spot kick says he is yet to overcome the trauma of that night and has not watched a replay of the game because of the pain it brings.

On the World Cup, Afriyie Acquah says Brazil are favorites to win it but he also expects Senegal and Nigeria to make Africa proud at the tournament.

Watch the full interview below