Stars Will Prove Keshi Wrong -Appiah

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