The Minority in Parliament has lauded the Black Stars for rising from the ashes after their abysmal performance at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to book a ticket in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
A statement, issued by the Minority’s Ranking Member on the Youth and Sports Committee on Wednesday, extolled the team for the stunning performance, which saw it sail through to pick a slot in the global football showdown to be held in Qatar, later in November, this year.
“The ability to rise after the happenings in Cameroon – the AFCON 2021 – from a position where many had written the team off, and to the extent that a decision to proceed to play Nigeria for a place in Qatar was seen as a mere formality, the performance at both home and in faraway Nigeria indicated a people with a resolve to get a change in the narrative for the better, and it was done with admiration, sweet victory.
“With unity, discipline and dedication on the part of playing and management body, the sky is the limit. We should remove politics from sports in order to continue getting the support of all, for ultimate results for victory,” the South Tongu MP, Kobina Woyome wrote.
The Black Stars of Ghana qualified on the away goal rule after a 1-1 aggregate score line in the FIFA World Cup qualifier playoff against Nigeria to book their spot in Qatar.
The Black Stars took a shocking lead in the 10th-minute of the game in a thunderous strike, which was later equalised through penalty kick by Nigeria’s William Troost-Ekong.
Despite several attempts from Nigeria in the second half, there was no goal to separate the two sides as Ghana secured qualification on the away goal rule.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has congratulated the senior national football team – the Black Stars.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, he noted that the victory comes as a source of excitement to many Ghanaians.
According to Mr Bagbin, “the joy that the team brought us on Tuesday evening is very refreshing and I commend them for a good job done. I trust that the Black Stars will be successful in their subsequent matches to bring glory to our country.”
“As an ardent lover and a keen follower of football, I appreciate the enormous role football plays in unifying citizens, particularly Ghanaians,” Mr Bagbin noted.