'An issue CAF must address' - Ghana coach sends message to African governing body after loss to Nigeria

Ghana coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani has sent a strong message to the Confederation of African Football regarding the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifying draws.

The Black Galaxies were eliminated by Nigeria’s Super Eagles B team in the 2025 CHAN qualifiers and will not participate in the tournament.

The first leg ended in a goalless draw at the Accra Sports Stadium, while Nigeria secured a 3-1 victory in the second leg at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Saturday, December 28.

First-half goals from Sodiq Akinola Ismaila, Junior Harrison Nduka, and Saviour Johnson Isaac gave the home side a commanding lead.

Although Ghana pulled one back in the second half, it was not enough to change the outcome.

Speaking after the match, Dramani criticized the decision to pair Ghana and Nigeria in the qualifiers, stating that both teams are among the best on the continent and should be participating in the tournament instead of facing each other in the qualifiers.

"Nigeria showed much more hunger and did a lot of running. We gave away some key moments in the game, which turned out to be disastrous for us," Dramani told reporters post-match.

"After the first goal, the second can drain the strength and energy of a team because of the manner it was scored — not to mention the third goal. At that point, any team could lose its steam.

"These are lessons learned in good faith. We don’t like failure, but sometimes failure brings a moment to reflect and then bounce back in the right way.

"Nigeria and Ghana meeting at this stage is an issue CAF must address. It’s important for the body to critically examine this and come up with a format that ensures the best for the continent."

The victory allowed Nigeria to exact revenge on Ghana, who had denied them a spot in the previous edition of CHAN.

The 2025 African Nations Championship, set to be hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, will see Nigeria aiming to secure their first-ever title in the competition.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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