World Cup: Govt'll ensure Stars qualify – Sports Minister

The Government of Ghana is putting in more efforts to ensure that the Black Stars of Ghana make it to the World Cup in Russia and also win the 2017 Cup of Nations in Gabon, Minister of Youth and Sports Nii Lantey Vanderpuye has said.

Ghana will play Uganda on Friday October 7 at the Tamale Sports Stadium in a bid to qualify for a fourth straight World Cup. The team will feature in the Cup of Nations in Gabon in 2017.

Mr Vanderpuye told Accra Sports in an interview that inasmuch as the government was making all attempts to ensure the team qualified for the Mundial, the players themselves must also be seen as having the desire to qualify.

He said: “As far as government is concerned, government is prepared to make sure that the Back Stars qualify for the World Cup and possibly win the Cup of Nations in 2017. We will try and put in our efforts to make sure that we win. The truth of the matter is that at the end of it all, the players themselves must have a focus and say that they want to achieve this. So, we will put everything behind us and focus on what is at stake.”

The President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi, on his part told Accra Sports: “We are embarking on a very important journey once again to qualify for the World Cup in Russia 2018, and our match against Uganda is the beginning of the journey to the World Cup. The match is very crucial for us and we already have the experience of qualifying to the World Cup, but this is another challenge altogether.”

“And so the expectation of all Ghanaians is that on Friday we play and win the game against Uganda to set the tone for the qualification to the World Cup.”