- Ayew admits disappointment after Afcon exit
- The fallout from Cameroon was difficult to deal with
- Says it was a wake-up call ahead of World Cup
WHAT HAPPENED? The Black Stars endured a frustrating outing during the 33rd edition of Afcon this year as they failed to win a single match and didn't qualify for the knockouts.
In their Group C opener, they lost 1-0 against Morocco, drew 1-1 against Gabon and then suffered a shock 3-2 defeat against Comoros to finish bottom of the group.
WHAT DID HE SAY? According to the 32-year-old, who, who plays for Al Sadd in Qatar and was captaining the side, the Afcon debacle was very difficult for him and a wake-up call for their World Cup playoffs where they came up against Nigeria.
Backpage"Being in the team for a very long time and today being the leader of the squad, looking back at what happened in Cameroon was very difficult for me," Ayew told ," told Graphic Sports as quoted by Ghana Soccernet.
"But maybe it was supposed to happen due to certain situations, it was supposed to happen to teach us certain things we were not doing. I think it was a wake-up call for the World Cup playoffs which was coming up in March, so we had to be ready.
"Personally, I knew what was supposed to be done and took advice from people, including some senior former players, on things to do to qualify.
"And honestly, since we qualified for the World Cup a lot of things have changed, the confidence and belief are back; now we just have to get stability and a lot of games together, and I think we can make a good impression in this World Cup."
BackpageTHE BIGGER PICTURE: After their Afcon exit, Ghana were drawn to face their West African rivals, the Super Eagles in the playoffs for a slot at the World Cup. After a 0-0 draw in the first meeting in Kumasi, Ghana secured a 1-1 draw away in Abuja to qualify for Qatar on the away goals rule.
WHAT NEXT FOR AYEW? The former Swansea City players' next task after the friendlies against Nicaragua and Switzerland, is to lead Ghana at the international showpiece in the Gulf nation. Ghana have been drawn in Group H alongside Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay.
They will kick off their campaign against Portugal at Stadium 974 on November 24, face South Korea at Education City Stadium on November 28 before they close group matches with a date against Uruguay at Al Wakrah Sports Complex on December 2.
