GFA President determined to prevent 2014 World Cup fiasco in Qatar

Mr. Kurt Ediwn Simeon Okraku, President of the Ghana Football Association, says they have learnt lessons from the 2014 World Cup campaign and are determined to prevent a similar situation from happening in Qatar.

Ghana’s last outing at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil was marred by the airlifting of money to pay players’ appearance fees among other unpleasant issues.

The Black Stars of Ghana are set to embark on another World Cup in Qatar, as they have been paired alongside Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay.

Speaking to the press at the squad announcement in Accra, Mr. Okraku said protecting the image of Ghana was a key objective ahead of the World Cup campaign in Qatar.

”We are leaders, and when you are a good leader, you must learn from yesterday so that your today and tomorrow would be good. We have learned a lot from all the campaigns, and I am sure Ghana would not be disgraced at the mundial,” he said.

Mr. Okraku said the selected players are extremely committed to the course of a good campaign in Qatar likewise the administrators.

He added: ”It is important we give respect to the men who are leading the charges. It is important that we offer them our support. These are the men who qualified Ghana to the mundial. If we trusted them to qualify us for the mundial, we should trust them to carry on.

”Once the squad is out, it is imperative that we all forget about who must be in and who should not and focus on the 26 men who are very dedicated and ready to play out their best for Ghana. The Black Stars would be competitive and it is our desire to go all the way,” he said.