Grant speaks on pressure of being Ghana coach

Ghana coach Avram Grant has shed light on the pressure that comes with leading the four-time African champions.

The Israeli is currently hoping to guide the Black Stars to glory at the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, having finish second at the last event in 2015 - only three months into his role as Ghana coach.

His past 25 months in the West African country has though seen a lot of criticism over player selections and unconvincing results.

“Ghana is the kind of country where there is always pressure,” Grant told the Guardian.

“In a way, they ignore the problems. They don’t care. You come to the pitch and even if the kit man is playing, you have to win 4-0 against Brazil."

Grant has also received a lot of stick for his perceived unwillingness to stay in Ghana to monitor the local league for new additions to the Black Stars.

"I was in Ghana more than any other foreign coach before," said the former Chelsea boss. 

"I’ve seen all the teams in the local leagues. 

"I need to see them [core Black Stars players, who are all based in Europe]. They [the critics] want me to be there all the time, but they don’t understand that for me, Ghana is a vacation. 

"You know that it’s better to be in Ghana in a five-star hotel and eat well and see the game only at the weekend, instead of going every two days to another country to see games, especially in November, December.”

Grant is expected to bring his Ghana stint to an end after the ongoing Afcon.

Meanwhile, he has a hurdle to scale on Sunday as the Black Stars face DR Congo in the quarter-finals.