There were six of them initially. Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana and hosts South Africa. For the teams from Africa, being a part of World Cup means much more to them than football. It’s about the pride, a struggle for self-determination. It’s about a demand for respect.
Unfortunately for Africa, all teams except Ghana fell at the first hurdle. Now a billion Africans will join 24 million Ghanaians in placing their hopes on The Black Stars. For Ghana, this success doesn’t come out of the blue skies. After being quite a story in the 2006 where as debutants they reached the second round, Ghana was the first team to qualify for this World Cup, the first African team to win a match here and the youngest team in this tournament.
When the young Ghana team takes the field against USA on Saturday, one thing will unite the Africans- Hope. And as the legendary Abedi Pele, one of the greatest African player in the history of the game put it- “An African team will lift the trophy.” Hope is what it all takes.
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