Black Meteors Arrive in Ghana at Dawn After Early AFCON U23 Exit

• The Ghanaian U23 team have arrived safely back in the country
• The team touched down in the early hours of Monday morning
• The Black Meteors failed to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games

The Black Meteors of Ghana have finally arrived home in Accra after a disappointing U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Ghana failed to secure one of the tickets to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris after exiting the tournament at the group stage.

Following the 1-1 draw against Guinea in their final group game, the Black Meteors finished third in Group A and were beaten to the semi-final spot on goal difference.

The players, led by the technical team and management members, arrived in the early hours of Monday morning, as reported by Ghanafa.org.

The West African nation will now miss men's football at the Olympics for the fifth time running, with their last appearance being in Athens in 2004.

AFCON 2023: The 5 big upsets as South Africa beat Morocco and Zambia thrash Ivory Coast

Football

Ghana was the first country in Africa to win a medal in football at the event after finishing third at the 1992 edition in Barcelona, Spain.

A dejected Black Meteors coach, Ibrahim Tanko, said in his post-match presser that exiting the U23 AFCON so soon was a big disappointment.

“We started well but conceded the goal due to a lack of concentration,” he said, as quoted by myjoyonline.

Badu worried about Ghanaian football

In related news, Sports Brief reported on former Black Stars midfielder, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu lamenting Ghana's state of football following the Black Meteors' AFCON U23 exit.

The Ghanaian U23 team were eliminated from the tournament in Morocco at the group stage and as a result, have missed out on qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

This is the third time in a little over a year that a Ghanaian national team has failed to progress beyond the first round of an international competition, with fans disappointed again.

Kamaldeen Sulemana and Ransford Yeboah Konigsdorffer Withdraw From Ghana U23 Squad

Football

Gyan blasts Black Meteors players

Former Ghana captain, Asamoah Gyan has slammed the Black Meteors following the Ghanaian U23 side's early exit from the Africa U23 Cup of Nations.

As Sports Brief reported, the team failed to qualify for next summer's Olympic Games after a 1-1 draw against Guinea in their final group stage tie.

Having finished the first stage of the tournament with four points, the Black Meteors were beaten to a semi-final spot by Guinea on goal difference.