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The goalkeepers’ coach of the Sudanese national team, Eric Amponsah, says he is not surprised the Black Stars could not make it to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

He says so far as he is concerned, the four teams that played in the qualifiers also stood a chance of qualifying just like Ghana aspired to.

Sudan and Angola made it out of Group F in the qualification series with Ghana and Niger dropping out.

Surprisingly, the Black Stars, who have played at the last 10 editions of the tournament, failed to win a single match in the qualifiers, languishing bottom of the group at the end of six games.

Speaking on Agoro Fie on Onua TV on Tuesday, January 28, a day after the draw was held in Rabat, Morocco, Eric Amponsah said he is least surprised about the outcome in the qualifiers.

“If it were only four teams going and Ghana did not make it, then it would have been the other way but four countries were in the group and two were to qualify so it was going to be the case that two would go out,” he said.

“So, as for surprise, I wasn’t at all that Ghana did not join the two to qualify.”

Sudan have been drawn in Group E to play Algeria, Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea.

Eric Amponsah, who replaced Fatau Dauda in Kwesi Appiah’s backroom staff, admitted the difficulty in the group they find themselves but said they will fight to qualify from that phase.

“It is a very difficult group and not only for us but everybody because today there are no minnows in football,” he told host Alfred Takyi-Mensah.

“It is how well you prepare for any competition you participate in. So I feel all the groups are difficult but if you prepare well you will qualify to the next stage.”