Rajevac: Afcon 2021 shame prompts vote of no confidence from Ghana government

Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac faces the sack from his position as Black Stars trainer following a declaration of a vote of no confidence in his ability by the Government of Ghana.

The lack of belief was stated in a press release following an emergency meeting between the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and Ghana Football Association officials on Friday on the back of the Black Stars’ underwhelming performance at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon.

On Tuesday, the West Africans finished their worst ever performance in Afcon history with their elimination from the continental showpiece at the group stage without winning a single game.

“The Ministry of Youth and Sports this afternoon met with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to review the performance of the Black Stars at the Afcon Cameroon 2021, and also to discuss preparations towards the World Cup 2022 playoffs,” a statement signed by Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif reads.

“The ministry made it clear to the GFA that the people of Ghana have lost confidence in the capacity of the current technical team of the Black Stars to deliver success.

“The Ministry, therefore, asked the GFA to review the work and capacity of the Black Stars’ technical team, led by the head coach Milovan Rajevac.”

Ghana were knocked out of the competition after a surprise 3-2 loss to debutants Comoros in their last group game, having earlier lost 1-0 to Morocco and drawn 1-1 with Gabon.

Ultimately, it emerged that as little as a draw in the Comoros fixture would have been enough to send Ghana through to the knock-out stage.

It is the first time since 2006 the Black Stars failed to go past the group phase of the tournament.

“Following the emergency meeting, the Ministry, in accordance with its mandate, asked the Ghana Football Association to reconstitute the Black Stars management committee,” added the statement.

“During the frank and forward-looking discussion, the Ministry emphasised strongly the disappointment of the Ghanaian people and their government in the national team’s poor showing, ending in our group stage elimination at the Afcon 2021.

“The Ministry assures the general public that it will always act in the best interest of the country and with the ultimate goal of improving the performance and improvement of our national teams.”

Rajevac was appointed Ghana coach last September, with a mandate to lead Ghana to Afcon glory and guide the team to secure qualification for the 2022 World Cup.

At the post-match press conference of the Comoros defeat, the Serbian stated emphatically that he had no plans of resigning from the post.