One incident from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations that will remain undeletable in the minds of Ghanaians is the Richard Ofori goalkeeping clanger that resulted in the corner kick that fetched Mozambique their second goal in the dying minute of their final Group B game against the Black Stars of Ghana on Monday, January 22, 2024.
That video of Ofori messing up what could have been routine goalkeeping actions will forever be etched in the memories of Ghanaians.
In the aftermath of the game, Ofori came under severe criticism from many Ghanaians with some fans calling for permanent exclusion from the national team.
But Maxwell Nana Essien of Kumasi-based Pure FM has provided some clarification and context to the issue of Ofori’s unpardonable blunder.
Nana Essien claims that Maxwell Baako, a former player of Asante Kotoko who was a teammate with Richard Ofori at Wa All Stars has fed him with information from Ofori about the incident.
According to Baako, Ofori blamed the potato nature of the pitch at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium where the game took place.
“He has spoken to Maxwell Baako. They were teammates at Wa All Stars to they still have a good relationship. According to Baako, Ofori told him that the pitch was not good so the ball was often bouncing.
“He felt the ball came from one Ghanaian player so he wanted to catch it and prevent a corner kick. He was beckoned by some of the players to leave but before he could pull out, the ball bounced on the pitch and scraped his hands resulting in a corner kick. It was not deliberate,” he said.
The Black Stars left the 2023 AFCON, winning none, drawing two and losing one of their three games played in Group B.
A 2-1 defeat to Cape Verde in the opening game was followed by 2-2 draws with Egypt and Mozambique in the second and final group matches respectively.
With just two points and a goal deficit, the Black Stars recorded successive group-stage exits from the AFCON, having suffered the same fate in the 2021 edition.
As a result of the disastrous performance in Ivory Coast, Chris Hughton has been sacked by the Ghana Football Association.