The Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Mr Kurt Okraku, has urged Ghanaians to wholeheartedly support the Black Stars quest for qualification to the FIFA 2026 USA, Canada and Mexico FIFA World Cup.
According to him, what the team (Black Stars) needed now was the support of every Ghanaian and not the constant backlash members associated with the team get on daily basis.
Speaking to the Times Sports yesterday, Mr Okraku admitted that results of the Black Stars have been disappointing in recent times but that, he said, was only the illogical sequence football sometimes follow.
“Football does not always follow the sequence we want. Sometimes, we want results to go in a certain way but if it goes the other way, then coaches and players are blamed.”
According to him, some of the criticisms of the coach and players have been unfair but said as players and stakeholders, they understood the difficulties such results come with.
“I can tell you our coach (Otto Addo) and his men are extremely committed to this course. It is same with the players. So is every member of the FA. The Fans must also play their key role to ensure that together, we gain qualification,” he said.
Mr Okraku indicated that the FA was committed to giving the Black Stars the needed support – good accommodation, playing surfaces, and bonuses – required to qualify for the World Cup.
Also speaking on a wide range of issues regarding the development of Ghana football, he indicated that the FA was first of all committed to the development of the technical centre (Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Football) at Prampram.
As a result, it has initiated a number of projects to make the facility habitable for participants for the various training programmes as well as camping of the national teams.
What the FA was looking forward to, he stated, was the completion of the World Cup Legacy project which would be financed by Ghana’s proceeds from the World Cup participation.
On the resumption of the Ghana Premier League (GPL), which went on break following incidence of violence recorded at Nsoatre when Asante Kotoko played as guests of Nsoatreman FC, Mr Okraku informed that the clubs were ready and have embraced the decision to re-start.
“Football is a passion in this country and this short break period did not go down well with people. As stakeholders, we need to ensure that we give the fans what they want but also, we must make the environment safe for everybody,” he mentioned.
He explained that the rejection of the Legon and Baba Yara Sports stadia and others for Premier League action was due to the absence of some facilities, notably safe zones where buses of teams can park for players to disembark.
On plans by the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Mr Kofi Adams to channel national teams preparations through the National Sports Authority (NSA), Mr Okraku stated that the FA has no issues with that since the NSA remains a key stakeholder as far as the development of the game was concerned.
“I want Ghanaians to understand that the GFA is one of the many other sports federations; law abiding and has over the years operate by the rules that controls the sector,” he noted
“We endorse plans and initiatives from the sports ministry. NSA is a major key stakeholder in our game. We are not against any directive set to enhance the beauty of the game,” he added.
BY ANDREW NORTEY
The post Support Black Stars wholeheartedly to qualify for 2026 FIFA World Cup …Kurt Okraku rallies fans appeared first on Ghanaian Times.
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