Koufie tips Stars for World Cup upset
The head of the Ghana Football Association’s Technical Committee, Mr Ben Koufie, has tipped Ghana’s Black Stars to cause a stir at the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup based on their impressive record in the two previous tournaments.
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“I’m looking to Ghana to cause a surprise. I’m saying this because of past events and the way Ghana almost qualified to the semi-finals of the last world Cup. If you are close to the semi-finals you must be close to the final as well.
“Anything can happen so I give Ghana the chance to move forward,” the forthright technical brain declared in an exclusive interview with the Graphic Sports at the Feyenoord Academy at Gomoa Fetteh yesterday.
While admitting that Ghana had been drawn in a difficult group comprising Germany, Portugal and the USA, the FIFA and CAF Coaching Instructor maintained that it was still manageable and therefore, expected Ghana to use her previous experience to sail through alongside Germany.
“If you take Germany which is a threat to everybody, we played them at the last World Cup in South Africa and they beat us 1-0 which was a close win for them. If that is anything to go by, then it means we weren’t bad at that time; and we are expected to do better this time,” he stressed.
The former FA boss said though Portugal was also a force to reckon with, they could be contained with good planning just like USA.
“It is possible for Ghana to cause a stir in Brazil because if you look at the trend the second World Cup (in South Africa) was an improvement over the first one (in Germany). If things are to move as expected this should take us a step forward, at least.”
According to Mr Koufie, the current Stars squad looks stronger than the 2010 team and that their impressive scoring form gives him hope for a better future, especially with six months to the World Cup.
He was full of praise for Coach Kwasi Appiah for proving beyond every reasonable doubt that he knew what he was about since taking over the Stars in April last year.
“He has proved beyond every reasonable doubt that he knows what he is about. He doesn’t talk much that is why Ghanaians think he doesn’t know what he is doing. From his first match up to the present stage he has talked little and achieved much,” Mr Kofi noted.