Mohammed Polo rejects calls for Ghana to withdraw from 2027 AFCON
Ghana legend Mohammed Polo has dismissed calls for the Black Stars to withdraw from the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, describing the idea as “senseless”.
The four-time African champions have suffered consecutive defeats by Ivory Coast and The Gambia, leaving them bottom of Group C without a point from their opening two matches.
The poor start has led to calls for the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the team’s handlers to pull out of the qualifying campaign for the tournament, which will be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
However, Polo, who helped Ghana win the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations, believes the Black Stars must instead return to the drawing board and find solutions before their next qualifiers against Somalia.
“I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. No, that is not the right thing,” Polo told Citi Sports.
“You’ve been beating some people before. They went back to the drawing board and found solutions. So, if they are now coming to beat you, you should go back to the drawing board and find solutions.
“And the solution is within us. We have to find the solution within us. The quality of our players today is different from that of two years ago. It’s different.”
Polo believes Ghana need a technical expert capable of improving the current group of players and helping them fulfil their potential.
“We need a technical person who can help them and add some value to what they have,” he said.
“But withdrawing from the competition is senseless. It doesn’t make sense.”
The Black Stars will look to revive their qualifying campaign when they face Somalia in a double-header at the Accra Sports Stadium in November.
Ghana are at risk of missing a second successive Africa Cup of Nations after failing to qualify for the 2025 tournament in Morocco.