AFCON 2023: Jordan Ayew Sends Message to Ghana Teammates After Cape Verde Loss

• Jordan Ayew says Ghana must bounce back after losing to Cape Verde
• The Black Stars risk early elimination from AFCON 2023
• Ghana will next face Egypt to keep their hopes alive

The Black Stars had a disastrous start to their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, losing 2-1 to Cape Verde in their first Group B encounter despite being labelled as favourites.

Ghana forward Jordan Ayew has asked for a reaction from his teammates following their surprise loss to the Blue Sharks, which has sparked criticisms from fans back home.

According to Ghana Soccernet, Jordan encouraged the Black Stars to stay positive and bounce back strong in their next game.

“We need to bounce back quickly. We can't keep saying it's a young team; we've been together for two years now.

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"We have two more games left, and we must stay positive. We'll take it one game at a time and see how it goes," Jordan Ayew spoke after the loss to Cape Verde."

Ghana has now gone three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments without winning their opening match. They now have an uphill task, relying on a victory vs Egypt to relaunch their campaign.

Ghana coach Chris Hughton attacked

Meanwhile, a Ghanaian fan has been arrested in Ivory Coast for attacking Black Stars head coach Chris Hughton following the surprise loss to Cape Verde on Sunday, January 14, GOAL reports.

Police had to intervene as some disappointed supporters took their anger out on Hughton at the hotel where Ghana’s squad is based.

Reports claim it took the intervention of some Ghanaian diplomats who were around to save the coach from the angry supporter, who was later arrested and handed to the Ivorian police.

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Ghana faces tough AFCON assignment

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Ghana's next Group B match against Egypt is on Thursday, January 18, and a loss for Chris Hughton's side may mean back-to-back elimination from the AFCON.

The Black Stars remain at the bottom of Group B, trailing Cape Verde, Egypt, and Mozambique, after giving up a late winner to Garry Rodrigues, who grabbed all three points for the Blue Sharks in stoppage time.