President Akufo-Addo has assured the twenty-six-man Black Stars contingent and the entire technical team of the nation’s unalloyed support ahead of World Cup 2022.
According to the President, the Black Stars, who will be featuring and representing the nation at the mundial in Qatar “should know and feel that the entire nation, without the distinction of politics, religion, ethnicity; the entire Ghanaian nation are 100% solidly behind them.”
This was when the President met a delegation made up of and led by the Minister of Youth and Sports Hon. Mustapha Ussif, the Ghana Football Association and all the Supporters Unions of Ghana, Thursday, November 17 2022 at the Jubilee House, to sign the national flag; a move towards rallying popular support for the team, and wish them well in this national endeavour.
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Delivering a message of optimism on the account of the Two-Zero victory over Switzerland in a pre-tournanment friendly, President Akufo-Addo said, “I know that they are not there to make up the numbers and that they are going to give a very good account of themselves.”
Therefore, he stated, “I want first of all to thank all of you, very much for making the effort to come and see me before the competition starts, so that we can all together wish the black stars the very best of luck,”.
“All of us know what football means to us in this country and what a very rich history we have in football. History that goes right back to the 50s, and 60s and 70s, 80s and 90s, right up till today; and I’m very confident that the players that have been selected, right up to the excellent technical team that we have under the leadership of Otto Addo, that we are going to give a very good account of ourselves.”
Recalling Pele’s prediction of the 1970s, the President said, “a long time ago, the greatest footballer that has ever lived, the Brazilian, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pele, said that very soon an African country is going to win the African Cup and I know that, when he said that, he had in mind Ghana.”
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He, therefore, called on all to “rally round the team, and make sure that we give them our maximum support. They are going to go a long way away to Doha in Qatar, but they should know that the entire nation, without distinction of politics, religion, ethnicity; the entire Ghanaian nation are 100% solidly behind them.”
“I am impressed by the arrangements that the Minister for Youth and Sports, has made and all those who are involved in the administration of the Black Stars. Very well organised and systematic efforts have been made to make sure that we give the Black Stars the best possible conditions, to go forward,” he stated.