Avram Grant: Ghana will shine in Brazil

Former Chelsea manager Avram Grant has predicted a successful outing for the five African teams at this year’s Fifa World Cup.

Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon and Algeria will hoist the continent’s flag when the competition begins on June 12.

According to the former Israel national team manager who boasts of managing three English Premier League sides, the quintet must possess a strong mental strength to surpass their previous records in the quadrennial football showpiece.

“I certainly believe African teams will excel at this summer's World Cup in Brazil. I strongly believe that Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria might even go further than the quarter final stage if their mental strength is excellent. It will be a good testimony for African football,” Grant told Cafonline.com.

“One advantage that the African teams have in Brazil is that it is going to be warm. European teams have never won the World Cup in South America, so it will be a great opportunity for the African teams to do well because of the circumstances they have to play in.

"An African team will be champions of the world one day. I even don’t understand why Africa can’t win the World Cup because when compared to other countries, Africa has got excellent talents.”

He further said the predicament African teams face at the football showpiece is their lack of strong mental strength.

“The only problem I have seen with African teams is the fact that they lose games they can win in crucial moments.

“However, this can be improved because the problem is lack of a strong mental strength but it can be fixed.

"When Italy won the World Cup in 2006, they had no good talented players more than Africa with all due respect.

“ At that time, Italy was not better than the leading countries in Africa but they have something that is lacking here in Africa and it's more to do with the mental strength and this can be taught by employing the best people to teach it,” he concluded.

Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana are the African teams to have gone farthest at the World Cup reaching the quarter finals of the 1990 (Italy) , 2002 (South Korea/Japan) and 2010 (South Africa) editions respectively