Chris Hughton, the coach of Ghana, faced criticism once more on Monday as their chances of advancing in the AFCON appeared to diminish following a third consecutive group game without a victory.
Chris Hughton and Ghana seemed poised to secure a top two placement in Group B after taking a 2-0 lead against Mozambique in their final AFCON group match at Abidjan’s Alassane Ouattara Stadium. However, they allowed two goals in stoppage time, resulting in a 2-2 draw and a third-place finish. With just two points from their matches, Ghana is unlikely to secure one of the spots in the last 16. They will have to wait until Wednesday to find out if they will be among the four best third-placed finishers to qualify.
“Things are very raw right now,” Chris Hughton said after the match as Ghana reporters demanded to know whether he would be fired or resign.
“There is a commotion outside. It’s an angry place at the moment,” he added as the Ghana players walked through a gauntlet of abuse in the media mixed zone.
“But when you are unable to see game through, it becomes very difficult. Our performances have not been good. We played three games, conceded two goals in each game and have ourselves in a difficult situation.”
Chris Hughton, who was assaulted by a disgruntled supporter following Ghana’s loss in their first group match against the Cape Verde Islands, the smallest nation at the tournament in the Ivory Coast, stated that he accepted accountability for the outcomes.
“We had a group of players that really wanted to do well but the performance and results in these three games was not good enough. My impact on the team can only be judged by the results.”
“This was the best opportunity we had to do well. We’ve had the players for a long period now to train together and we anticipated we would grow stronger the longer we went in the competition, but the fact is we haven’t. My assessment of my results is that they haven’t been good enough.”
Chris Hughton also expressed that he felt just as upset and annoyed as any of the Ghanaian fans.
“Anything past this moment is not for me to talk about,” he added when asked whether he thought he might be fired.
The ex-manager of Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion assumed the role of Ghana coach in March.
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