GHANA assistant coach, Kwesi Appiah has rubbished claims by Stephen
Keshi that the Black Stars have no chance of winning the 2012 Nations
Cup.
Nigeria coach Keshi said last week that Ghana did not have quality
players to win a fifth continental title in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Keshi claimed Ghana lacked the requisite experience to be crowned
champions.
But Appiah, a former Ghana captain, has poured cold water on the
assessment by the former Nigeria captain insisting the Black Stars have a
good chance.
"In the first place everyone has their right to air their opinions.
In one way I see him (Keshi) as saying that we don't have big name
players," Appiah told Arkfm.
"The fact that we don't have big-name players doesn't mean that we
can't excel at the Africa Cup of Nations and win the tournament.
"These kinds of statements challenge our players to play above
themselves and prove that big names don't play football but your talent
and ability to fight on the pitch will determine the result."
Appiah says the Black Stars are being considered is one of the
favourites because they have retained most of the players who helped the
squad to reach the final of the 2010 Nations and quarter final of the
World Cup.
"If you look at our team you will see that most of the players we
took to the Nations Cup in 2010 that reached the final are still in the
team," Appiah said.
Raymond Yeboah-Sportsinghana.com
