Fred Crentsil, Vice-President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), claims hosting Egypt first in the FIFA World Cup play-off gives the seven-time African champions an advantage.
Ghana were yesterday drawn with the Pharaohs in the final qualifier for a place in the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Mr Crentsil told GNA Sports after the drew in Luxor, Egypt, that ‘Egypt is a very formidable team and they are playing well. We will have to be careful. We playing at home first also gives them (Egypt) an advantage.
“It is the most difficult game, looking at the pairings. It is the final of finals. We need to start preparations immediately.”
Ghana will host the first leg at the weekend October 11-13 before visiting the North Africans on the weekend November 15-17 for the second leg.
The winner over the two-leg becomes one of Africa’s five representatives at the quadrennial event.
The last time both teams met in a competitive match was at the finals of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, where Ghana were 0-1 losers.
When both last met in January, in a build-up to Ghana’s campaign to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, Ghana emerged 3-0 victors, but Mr Crentsil is quick to discount the psychological edge the Black Stars may have as a result.
“We beat them in a friendly as part of preparation for the Cup of Nations but it does not give us an edge,” he said
The Black Stars are hoping for a third successive appearance at the Mundial, following previous attendance at Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010.
