Ghana captain Andre Ayew was disappointed by the decision to send him off during the Africa Cup of Nations clash with Comoros on Tuesday evening.
Ayew was sent off in the 25th minute, with Ghana one goal behind. Comoros goalkeeper Salim Ben Boina spilled Kamaldeen Sulemana’s shot, Ayew slid in to win the loose ball, Ben Boina redeemed himself to save well, and Malian referee Boubou Traore somehow appraised a red card from VAR when the pair collided thereafter.
Ayew’s absence made things worse for the Black Stars who lost 3-2 against the Afcon rookies to suffer their first group stage exit in 16 years.
“I watched it and it’s not a red card,” Ayew told the media in the mixed zone.
The four-time champions did not win a match, the first time since their maiden appearance in 1957. They finished bottom of Group C with only one point.
Ghana opened their campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Morocco, drew 1-1 with Gabon and then were humiliated by Comoros, a team ranked 132nd by FIFA.
“We didn’t make them [Ghanaians] proud, we take responsibility for that. We didn’t have a good Afcon.“If you see the goal we conceded against Morocco and versus Gabon, you will see that we were unlucky,” he added.
“I think we need to learn from this, we need to go back to the drawing board as the players move ahead.”
“We have to take criticism, apologise to the fans for not qualifying for the next round. We are disappointed because this is not Ghana.
“I think if you guys know me, I leave to fight another day. We are going to work hard and we are going to be back.”
Source: 3news.com|Ghana