Badu denies claims that players want Konadu for AFCON 2015

Emmanuel Agyemang Badu has shot down claims that Ghana's players have requested for Maxwell Konadu to remain in charge as Black Stars coach till after the Cup of Nations.

There have been suggestions that players of the national team have told the GFA they would rather have the former Asante Kotoko boss in charge and reportedly requested the GFA to hold on with the appointment of Avram Grant.

But Badu who captained Ghana to a 3-1 win over Togo on Wednesday to seal a place at the 2015 Nations Cup says that is news to him.

“I am hearing this for the first time,” he said. “It is the management and GFA who make decisions and if they say Max should do it we will be 100 per cent behind him. We have not met to discuss anything like that after the Uganda game.”

The GFA has said it is close to reaching a deal with former Chelsea boss Avram Grant to put him in charge of the national team with the Nations Cup due to be his first assignment.

Qualification was made possible by a strong opening half in Tamale with Mubarak Wakaso and Majeed Waris the assassins in chief for the Black Stars before Badu weighed in with his contribution as his deflected effort won the game 3-1 for Ghana.

“The two quick goals really helped us and they were quality goals too,” Badu said. ”We ceded the midfield to them at the start of the second half but once we took control again we made this comfortable. After losing in Uganda this was the perfect response from the team.”

Badu's one worry from the game in Tamale was the fact that Ghana conceded again from a set piece. “Every time we have let in a goal, it has come from a set piece. That is something we need to work on in training,” he said.