ACCRA, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The Normalization Committee (NC) of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) on Wednesday apologized to Ghanaians for the exit of the Black Stars in the ongoing 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.

Ghana was eliminated from the competition in the round of 16 following a 5-4 loss to Tunisia on penalties after a 1-1 finish in regulation and extra time Monday night.

In a release, the NC said it anticipated an exciting tournament, which would have culminated in a successful climax of ending Ghana's agonizing 37-year AFCON trophy drought.

Unfortunately, the dream, once again, ended in disappointment, despite the team's early promise in the group stage, especially having improved considerably in its final group match with Guinea Bissau.

The interim football governing body said it understands the national mood of disappointment, following the Stars' exit via the nerve-racking penalty shootout defeat to Tunisia and apologizes to the citizenry for the painful defeat.

According to the NC, the future of Ghana football is bright, but the nation can only reclaim its lost glory if the football fraternity remains focused on the game's development to catch up with rivals in the world, especially on the African continent.

This early elimination of the Black Stars is another sad reality for the football fraternity and the nation to a larger extent, to have a second look at its football blue print moving forward, the release said, expressing the confidence that its restructuring process started since last year, will lay a solid foundation on which the future of Ghana football would be built.

"Finally, we salute the good people of Ghana for their unwavering support to the Black Stars throughout the tournament," said the release.

The Black Stars are expected to arrive in the country on Wednesday.