Former Hearts of Oak defender Dan Quaye has sharply criticized the Black Stars after their disappointing loss to Sudan in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

The defeat puts Ghana at risk of missing the prestigious tournament for the first time since 2004.

The four-time AFCON champions faced a surprising 2-0 defeat to the Falcon Jediane at the Benina Martyrs Stadium in Libya, further jeopardizing their qualification hopes.

In an interview with Bryt FM, Quaye placed the blame squarely on the players, highlighting a lack of discipline among the squad.

“No one should blame the coach. We should rather blame the players because they are not serious.

The players are selected based on their performance at club level, so why don’t they exhibit the same form when invited to the Black Stars?” he questioned.

He expressed frustration with the current group of players, stating, “Truth be told, this crop of players is indisciplined, and it’s high time we address it.

Players who are not ready to play for the national team can decline the call-up. It’s better to do that than accept a call-up and perform poorly, breaking the hearts of millions of Ghanaians.”

Quaye also criticized the defensive errors that led to the defeat: “We cannot blame the coach for this loss. Our defenders were poor.

We committed silly mistakes in the game, and that cost us the defeat. I’m highly disappointed because we can’t afford to miss out on AFCON in this group. The Sudanese played as if they were Ghana.”

To keep their hopes alive for the upcoming tournament in Morocco, Ghana must secure victories against already-qualified Angola and Niger while relying on Sudan to falter against these same opponents.