Ghana must make World Cup qualification ‘special project’ – Palmer

Owner of Tema Youth Football club Wilfred Osei Kwaku Palmer says qualifying for the World Cup requires a conscious and collaborative effort from the GFA, government and all stakeholders.

Palmer told Graphic Sports that the World Cup could prove to be an extra source of revenue for the nation hence the need for a long-term deliberate plan to be ever-present at the festival.

According to him for the team to excel at the World Cup it must be managed professionally.

“The Black Stars must be run purely on professional grounds. It simply means that when we have the World Cup, we should treat it as a project. You and I know the financial reward in qualifying for the World Cup. If I were in the saddle, I will treat the World Cup as a project. Whatever we have to spend to get to the World Cup I will do it, and when we go to the tournament I will target the semi-finals,” he explained.

Palmer also affirmed that the controversy at the 2014 World Cup was because the handlers of the team then were not transparent with the players.

He stated that the fortunes of the FA could witness a dramatic rise should they decide to make the World Cup a ‘project’.

“These boys (players) I know them; all you have to do is to be transparent with them. If we get about $20 million from the World Cup, what else can’t we do? We can run a lot of projects such as building the right infrastructure and ensure that the right things are in place. There is the need for us to take a second look at the way we do our things,” Palmer stated. Until we begin to do the right thing, things will not go the way we want.”

He also called for the team’s handlers to draw the ex-footballers closer to the team.

“The way we treat our legends is also not proper. People get close to the team and some people don’t want to see their faces,” he revealed.

He recalled how Cameroonian legends such as Roger Milla, Samuel Eto’o Fils, Antoine Bell and the rest rallied around the Indomitable Lions to win their fifth Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in Gabon in 2017.

“Cameroun won the AFCON with virtually unknown players, same as Nigeria in 2013, meaning it doesn't take stars to win the AFCON but a proper approach and pragmatic steps.

“If Abedi Pele or Stephen Appiah shows up in the Black Stars dressing room or camp, the players will appreciate it and carry that zeal onto the field to win. Of course, we have the quality as Ghanaians and what it takes to play football at the highest level.