Yaya Toure
Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has excluded Ghana from his list of favourites for the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), scheduled in the Ivory Coast from January 13th to February 11th.
Despite being drawn in the same group as Egypt, Cape Verde, and Mozambique, Toure believes other nations are stronger contenders for the tournament.
Toure, who won the AFCON in 2015, expressed his preference for his home country, Morocco, along with Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, and South Africa as the top favourites for the competition.
Speaking to Afrique Sports, Toure stated, "It’s normal to have a preference for your own country. Côte d’Ivoire has a strong team and many talented and experienced players. But if I had to choose the teams I think are favourites, I’d say Senegal, Morocco, Guinea-Bissau, and South Africa. They had an impressive qualifying campaign."
In contrast, Ghana's coach, Chris Hughton, holds a different perspective. Hughton believes the Black Stars are among the favourites to win AFCON and mentioned Cameroon, Morocco, Senegal, and Algeria as other strong contenders in an earlier interview.
Coach Hughton has already submitted a 55-man provisional squad for AFCON, with players from the Ghana Premier League dominating the list. The final squad will be trimmed to 27 players before the tournament begins.