Black Stars showed real class against England – Sports Minister Kofi Adams

By Jamaldeen Wiayuka July 15, 2026

The Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has praised the Black Stars for their spirited display against England at the 2026 World Cup tournament, describing the team’s performance as one of “class” despite their eventual exit.

Ghana secured qualification to the Round of 32 after edging Panama 1-0 before producing a resilient goalless draw against tournament favourites England in their second Group L fixture.

Speaking to Joy News, Mr Adams said the Black Stars matched one of the competition’s strongest teams despite entering the tournament with far less preparation than many of their opponents.

According to him, several competing nations benefited from longer periods of preparation, stable technical teams and players who had developed strong chemistry through playing together at club level, advantages Ghana did not enjoy.

“Some of these teams had players who had played together for years, understood each other’s movements and had strong coordination in defence, midfield and attack,” he said.

The Minister admitted Ghana lacked that same level of cohesion, noting that the team was still developing the understanding needed to maximise attacking opportunities.

“Sometimes when a player had the ball, you could see teammates not making the coordinated runs that would create scoring opportunities. We didn’t quite have that character yet,” he explained.

Despite those shortcomings, Mr Adams said the Black Stars demonstrated remarkable determination and quality throughout the tournament.

He revealed that Panama had considered Ghana the most beatable side in the group, only to suffer a 1-0 defeat.

“They believed their best chance of picking up three points was against Ghana, but we defeated them,” he said.

Reflecting on the draw against England, the Sports Minister described it as one of Ghana’s finest performances at the tournament.

“We came against England and showed real class. We neutralised all their threats and blocked every movement they tried to make,” he stated.

Mr Adams also echoed concerns raised by many football observers, insisting Ghana was unfortunate not to receive key decisions during the encounter.

He argued that the Black Stars were denied a clear penalty and that an England player should have been sent off after a challenge that warranted a red card.

“Many people felt Ghana was cheated. We had a clear penalty that wasn’t awarded, and there was another incident where an English player should have received a red card,” he said.

Ghana concluded their group campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Croatia before being eliminated by Colombia in the Round of 32.

The Black Stars will now turn their attention to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Ghana has been drawn in Group C alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia and The Gambia, with the qualifying campaign set to begin in September.