“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.”
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.
