Former Newcastle United winger Christian Atsu has admitted that the Black Stars failure to win the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title following huge investments in the team from the government merits the criticisms they receive from the fans.
The Black Stars last won the AFCON title in 1982 and have come close to winning it on three occasions in 1992, 2010, and 2015.
Christian Atsu was part of the Black Stars squad that lost the final in 2015 in Equatorial Guinea to Cote d’Ivoire through the penalty shoot-outs.
According to the former Chelsea midfielder, the efforts from the players to end the AFCON trophy drought has not been encouraging, thus the Ghanaian fans have the right to criticize the team since their expectations have not been met.
“We fight for the fans, we play for the fans and if you have noticed if the fans are not behind us, we perform badly you know”, Christian Atsu told Starr Sports.
“But I know the fans don’t see this, we play for them and also give our everything for them, but our best has not been enough for them, and we deserve the criticisms from them”
He added: “We just promise that everyday things will be much better ”.
Christian Atsu lasted played for the Black Stars at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
He exited the tournament after picking up an injury against Cameroon that ruled him out for a lengthy spell.
Atsu recently parted ways with English side Newcastle United after the expiration of his contract.