Black Stars can pull a surprise at AFCON 2023 - Odartey Lamptey

Former Ghana international Odartey Lamptey is expressing optimism that the Black Stars could spring a surprise at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast.

While the Black Stars enter the tournament with less-than-ideal form, having lost three of their last four games, including a surprising 1-0 defeat to Comoros in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Lamptey believes in the team's potential to go far.

Ghana's recent performance has raised doubts about their ability to end a four-decade drought since their last AFCON triumph in 1982. In the previous edition, they were eliminated in the first round, finishing in a group with Morocco, Gabon, and Comoros, and suffering a 3-2 loss to the debutants.

Despite the scepticism surrounding the team, Lamptey sees promise in the squad assembled by the coach. He emphasized the importance of early preparation, stating, "I have followed the team a bit, and I think the coach has assembled a good young material with a couple of experienced players that I think, yes if we are able to go camping earlier, I’m sure we can perform."

Lamptey acknowledged the challenges but expressed confidence in the team's potential for surprises. He said, "If football, you can never say never. Some countries are coming up; we’ve seen a lot of surprises with the small countries. I’m a Ghanaian, but things are not going well as people want them to be, but then, this will also be a time that we can cause a surprise in Africa."

The Black Stars will be in camp in Johannesburg ahead of the tournament.