Ghana's Black Sharks bow out of 2024 Beach Soccer AFCON despite win over Tanzania

Ghana's Black Sharks have been eliminated from the 2024 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations currently taking place in Egypt.

Despite achieving a commanding 10-3 victory over Tanzania in their final Group A match on Tuesday, October 22, the team could not advance to the semi-finals. Their elimination stemmed from two earlier losses to host nation Egypt (6-3) and Morocco (5-2), both of which have progressed to the semi-finals.

In the match against Morocco, Ghana struggled to keep up with their North African rivals, who took advantage of defensive errors and displayed a sharp attacking performance.

However, the encounter with Tanzania was a different story, as the Ghanaians dominated the game and were significantly more clinical than their opponents.

Despite this impressive win, Ghana could not move on to the semi-finals, missing the chance to reclaim their status as a powerhouse in African beach soccer. Their last appearance in 2016 also ended in the group stages.

Additionally, the Ghanaians failed to secure a spot in the 2025 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, as the 2024 AFCON automatically grants finalists a place in the tournament.

Meanwhile, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, Chairman of the Black Sharks management committee, acknowledged that the current beach soccer team does not meet the expected standards. 

He noted that the team had only nine days of training in Keta before heading to Egypt and managed just two training sessions before their opening match against Egypt, which resulted in a 6-3 loss.

"Despite facing multiple challenges ahead of the AFCON, we came here with high hopes and expectations. However, the reality has been blunt, swift, and sobering. We are quite far from the best teams at this tournament," he said in an interview.

He took responsibility for the team's absence of pre-AFCON friendly matches, explaining that efforts to arrange a game with a stronger opponent did not succeed.