Former midfielder, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu has criticized the Black Stars’ performance following their disappointing 2-0 defeat to Sudan in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
In the second leg of Matchday Four, Ghana faced Sudan at the Martyrs of February Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
After a goalless first half, Sudan broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute, taking advantage of a defensive error by Ghana, with Ahmed Hamed Mahmoud scoring the opener.
Just three minutes later, Mohammed Abdelrahman doubled Sudan’s lead, leaving the Black Stars with no response and increasing pressure on coach Otto Addo and his technical team.
Speaking in an interview, Agyemang Badu did not hold back in his criticism of the national team’s performance, expressing disappointment with their approach and overall state.
“The national team is in a ditch; we don’t need to sugarcoat things anymore. Personally, I am tired. We have to be humble and go back to the basics. From the local league to the U-17, U-20, U-23 teams, the local Black Stars, and even the women’s teams like the U-17, U-20, and Black Queens, there is nothing happening,” the former U-20 World Cup winner told Onua FM.
“For the last 15 matches, the Black Stars have won only two games. People thought we would win because we created chances last week but couldn’t score. But even if we won this match, the team still isn’t good. We’ve changed coaches six times, yet the same problems persist. I think there are people who are escaping accountability.”
He continued to criticize the players’ performances, saying, “These are the players who perform well for their clubs, but once they come to play for Ghana, everything changes. Even simple ball control becomes difficult. Look at the goal we conceded—two defenders and the player passes between them. I don’t know if they were trying to block the ball or what. The basic thing in football is to clear the ball. If you do that, what’s the harm? We lack a team, character, passion—everything. You can’t defend these kinds of mistakes.”
Agyemang Badu also pointed out the team’s inefficiency in set pieces, saying, “In our last two games, we had more than 30 set pieces and didn’t convert a single one. Our open play isn’t working, individual efforts aren’t clicking, and even set pieces aren’t yielding results.”
The Black Stars are currently third in Group F with just two points from four games. They will conclude their qualifiers with a home match against Niger before travelling to face Angola next month.
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