New Black Stars coach Chris Hughton has said that he cannot guarantee that the team will win a trophy under his leadership.
Hughton, who signed a contract through the end of 2024, has been tasked with qualifying Ghana for the next Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ivory Coast and eventually winning it.
Speaking ahead of his first match against Angola on Thursday, Hughton urged Ghanaians to lower their expectations and instead focus on building a strong and competitive team.
He stated, “Coaches cannot guarantee a trophy. There is no one because we [coaches] cannot guarantee anything. What we can guarantee is we will work as hard as we can to put a team together; to create the right tactics, the right mentality, and the right personnel to put ourselves in the best position to do that. And the first that comes is qualification, so we will work as hard as we can.”
Despite concerns about Ghana’s failure to win a trophy since 1982, Hughton emphasised that his immediate focus was on securing qualification for the Afcon tournament and building a formidable team capable of competing at the highest level.
The team is expected to begin training on Tuesday, as they aim to go three points clear in Group E after claiming four points from their first two games in the qualifiers.