The Minster for Youth and Sports, Mutapha Ussif, has thanked Corporate Ghana and the fans for their unflinching support to the Black Stars during the participation in the on-going FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The Black Stars failed to progress to the Round of 16 stage following a 2-0 defeat to old foes Uruguay in the final group game on Friday.
Despite the economic challenges being faced by government, the Sports Ministry together with Corporate Ghana were able to airlift supporters from Ghana to Qatar to support the Black Stars at the World Cup.
Mustapha Ussif in a press statement has thanked all stakeholders for the support. He also indicated that there will be a thorough review on the performance of the Black Stars and the way forward.
Full Statement from Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif
The Sports Ministry with support from Corporate Ghana mobilize supporters from Ghana and in Qatar to support the Black Stars during the tournament.
After our spirited performances in our first two group matches of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, Ghana’s campaign, has unfortunately ended, following the Black Stars’ defeat to Uruguay in our final group match.
Our target, going into the World Cup, was to progress from our group to the next round, and then continue our charge in the knockout stage, to better our impressive record in the World Cup.
Having put in all efforts, including financial, logistical and technical support towards our preparations, we were all confident our young team would be able to realise our national aspiration of going very far in the competition.
Indeed, the Black Stars won the hearts of many Ghanaians, as well as fans across the globe, with their spirited fightback against Portugal, and hard-fought victory over South Korea. Eventhough we fell short at the most crucial stage and bowed out of the competition in disappointment, we take solace in the lessons learnt, and the positives, especially the promising delivery of our young team.
We are also impressed by the united and patriotic manner Ghanaians came together to offer the Black Stars their unflinching support. Football, the World Cup and the Black Stars, brought the nation together beautifully as one people.
In the midst of global economic challenges, which had limitations to our finances, corporate Ghana responded remarkably to the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ fund-raising initiative to support the team, as well as President Akufo-Addo’s personal appeal for financial support. We are grateful to all corporate institutions for their kind and timely support, which contributed immensely not only towards the team’s qualification and preparations, but also made it possible to send a few Ghanaians to cheer on the team.
As a Government, we will not relent in our efforts towards sustainable sports development, to ensure that all our respective national teams, including the Black Stars, reach the height we desire.
For the Black Stars in particular, the Ministry of Youth and Sports will continue its partnership with all stakeholders, including the GFA, for a thorough review of the Black Stars’ World Cup campaign in Qatar, and the way forward.
Once again, we are grateful to all, for your diverse contributions towards the Black Stars’ 2022 World Cup campaign; from the qualifying series, to our last match on Friday, December 2, 2022.
