Ghana international Joseph Paintsil has charged Ghanaians to move on from the Black Stars’ 2025 disappointing Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and shift their focus to supporting the team in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Ghana’s campaign in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers ended winless, as the Black Stars were unable to secure qualification in November. This marked the first time in 20 years that Ghana failed to qualify for a competition they have won four times.
Speaking on the sidelines of his U-15 football tournament, Paintsil called for Ghanaians to rally behind the team despite setbacks in recent times.
“This is football. Now all the nations are really good; it’s not like 10 years ago that you will meet another team that you will confident of beating convincingly,” he said.
“We are in a difficult situation now where everyone is playing in Europe…the more you think, the more they surprise us. As you can see, we were surprised by a lot of teams but it happens.
“We just ask Ghanaians to support us no matter what…all they need to do is to help us, pray for us and support us in this upcoming qualification for the World Cup.”
Meanwhile, the LA Galaxy forward Joseph Paintsil has dismissed claims of a strained relationship with Black Stars coach Otto Addo, despite featuring just eight minutes in total and missing some call-ups due to injury or personal reasons.
–
Story by Asack Pius|univers.ug.edu.gh
