2025 AFCON Qualifiers: Angola coach Pedro Gonçalves raises concerns ahead of Ghana clash in opener

Angola coach Pedro Gonçalves has raised concerns ahead of their game against the Black Stars of Ghana in September.

The Black Stars were handed a tricky group following a draw ceremony weeks ago in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ghana, who are four-time winners of the competitions were placed in Group F of the draw, and will compete with Sudan, Niger and Angola for AFCON slot next year.

The West African powerhouse will begin the qualifiers with a home game against Angola.

A year ago, the Palancas Negras played the Black Stars in Kumasi during the 2023 AFCON qualifiers, where Ghana prevailed with a narrow win over Angola. But it appears coach Pedro Gonçalves was unhappy with treatment meted out to his side.

And ahead of the game, the Portuguese tactician is urging the Confederation of African (CAF) to take a critical look at the operative situations in Ghana.

“The crowd was impressive and I applaud them because the push from the Ghana national team from the first minute was crazy and that’s not the problem we faced, but the operative situations and CAF must care about these things," he told Ghanasportspage.

“I don’t speak about referees because everything went well on the pitch including the crowd, that’s the fun aspect of African football and I appreciate it."

The top two teams in every group will secure automatic qualification to the CAF’s biggest event on the continent.

The qualifying series will start in September 2024 to determine the first 24 nations from the 48 teams that will compete for the AFCON tournament.