Former Ghana boss Emmanuel Kwasi Afranie has attributed Ghana’s crushing defeat against Mali down to complacency. 

Afranie, a former Under 20 national team boss himself, stated that the lackadaisical attitude of the players contributed to the 3-0 loss but disagreed that the result was down to tactical bankruptcy.

“The match might have got to the Ghanaians. They thought it was Mali and did not enter with the right attitude. This is typical with the young boys when they approach certain games in a lukewarm manner,” he told Asempa FM on Wednesday.

“The coach is not to blame here. The players can decide not to play to instructions because they have the notion they will win prior to playing the match, this could have happened”.

“Offensively, they did not get into their rhythm which allowed the Malians to be all over us. I think the boys were overwhelmed and the Malians played the game we were supposed to play”. 

“Sometimes football is like boxing, after a heavy punch you will be dazed and this is what happened when the first goal arrived. Some of the boys were demoralized after the first goals and this gave the Malians the firepower to add a second and a third.”

Afranie noted that African nations were a tougher test for the Ghanaians and would have preferred a European opponent.

He is a proven youth coach who led Ghana with talents such as John Mensah, John Paintsil, Derek Boateng and Michael Essien to win silver at the Under 20 World Cup in Argentina in 2001.

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