Hon Mustapha Ussif, Minister for Youth and Sports, has urged Ghanaian fans who are in Qatar to offer support to the Ghana Black Stars, to bear with the Sports Ministry with regards to the challenges they may face at their camps..
In a visit to the Ghana Supporters camp to check on the fans, Hon Ussif emphasized on the financial challenges, and how the Ministry is striving to give the supporters the best, with the inadequate resources it was able to mobilise.
Before the start of the World Cup, the Sports Minister told Parliament that, due to the current global economic situation, which has also hit the country, the government would not be funding supporters to Qatar. However, he noted that the Ministry of Sports would seek support from corporate institutions to be able to send a few Ghanaians, who would be joined by Ghanaians and Africans who are residents of Qatar to support the Black Stars. That has since happened, with the Ministry sending a few Ghanaians to Qatar.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports, together with the Ghana Embassy in Qatar, mobilised over 1,000 Ghanaians and Africans based in Qatar, to offer support to the Black Stars. The Ministry provides them with match tickets to be able to access the stadium
“All we want to see is to make you very comfortable but you know resources are very scarce. We have global economic challenges and because of the global economic challenges that we find ourselves in, we had to move from one corporate institution to another corporate institution appealing for support. So the little that we have been able to raise, we will use it on you to support our Stars.
“We know there are some challenges but we are human beings and we cannot get everything perfect. We started from Accra with challenges and we got here with challenges but I want to appeal to you to forgive us for any problem you have encountered on your way here.”
Hon Usif
The Minister thanked the supporters for their wonderul support to the Black Stars, which he noted is urging the team to go all out.
“We are grateful for your unconditional support. Your support from day one, from Accra all the way to Doha. Our first game against Portugal, even when we were down, I was seated behind His Excellency the President and the supporters union was just cheering up the team and we are grateful for your unconditional support”
Hon Usif
Ghana Wants Qualification And Not Revenge
Meawhile, Black Star coach, Mr Otto Addo has disclosed that he will not be seeking revenge when the Black Stars face Uruguay on Friday in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 at the Al Janoub Stadium.
The must-win tie for both sides comes 12 years after Uruguay controversially defeated Ghana in the quarter-final stage of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
With the scores tied at 1-1, Luis Suarez used his hands to clear Dominic Adiyiah’s header and what surely would have been the extra-time winner. The resulting penalty was rattled off the woodwork by Asamoah Gyan and the game progressed to penalties that Ghana lost.
The loss remains one of Ghana’s most painful sporting moments and many Ghanaians are looking forward to the Stars’ avenging that loss. However, for Ghana coach Otto Addo,revenge is not the main target on Friday.
Coach Addo is anticipating a difficult game against the Uruguayans and maintains that the Black Stars will have to be at their best to defeat the South Americans and secure progression to the round of 16 stages.
The coach also identified the Uruguayan forward line which has the likes of Maximiliano Gomez, Darwin Nunez and veterans Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez as a major threat to Ghana’s qualification chances.
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