Richard Ofori's mistake against Mozambique captured in official documentary of 2023 AFCON

The comical howler by Black Stars goalkeeper, Richard Ofori in Ghana’s game against Mozambique has been featured in a short documentary by the Confederations of Africa Football on the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The scene of Richard Ofori making a costly error by touching a goal-kick-bound ball was featured prominently in the documentary released by CAF ahead of the finals on Sunday, 11 February 2024.

Just when Ghana looked to have picked a slot in the knockout phase of the AFCON, Richard Ofori dropped a goalkeeping clanger that has become a meme from the AFCON.

Ofori’s decision to tip the ball instead of allowing it to run out for a goal-kick resulted in a corner kick for Mozambique in the final group B for Ghana at the AFCON.

The resulting corner was headed home by a Mozambican player, spurring the end of Ghana in the tournament.

Richard Ofori was criticized and threatened for the mistake but he allegedly explained to a former Kotoko forward on the incident.

According to Baako, Ofori blamed the potato nature of the pitch at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium where the game took place.

“He (Richard Ofori) has spoken to Maxwell Baako. They were teammates at Wa All Stars so they still have a good relationship. According to Baako, Ofori told him that the pitch was not good so the ball was often bouncing.

“He thought the ball came off one Ghanaian player so he wanted to catch it and prevent a corner kick. Some of the players beckoned him to leave it but before he could pull out, the ball bounced on the pitch and scraped his hands resulting in a corner kick. It was not deliberate,” he said.

The Black Stars left the 2023 AFCON, winning none, drawing two, and losing one of their three games played in Group B.

A 2-1 defeat to Cape Verde in the opening game was followed by 2-2 draws with Egypt and Mozambique in the second and final group matches respectively.

With just two points and a goal deficit, the Black Stars recorded successive group-stage exits from the AFCON, having suffered the same fate in the 2021 edition.

As a result of the disastrous performance in Ivory Coast, Chris Hughton has been sacked by the Ghana Football Association.

The story of a tournament that delivered the full package of surprises, drama, heartbreak, dreams and then gave us a bit more..????#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 | #ThePrideOfAfricanFootball pic.twitter.com/3UQdkMi7Pz

— CAF (@CAF_Online) February 10, 2024