Black Stars, other African teams must look beyond quarter-final of World Cup – Mohammed Polo

Ghanaian football legend Mohammed Polo has tasked the handlers of the Black Stars to look beyond the quarter-final stage of the World Cup as the ultimate achievement.

The Hearts of Oak icon believes that Ghana and other African countries can break the quarter-final jinx if their respective handlers begin to work hard toward going beyond that position.

He is quoted by Graphic Sports to have said that the six African teams that have qualified for the last eight of the tournament have enough quality players to make the semis and beyond but their respective FA must believe the possibility of it.

“We have the talent capable of winning the FIFA World Cup, but there is the need for the GFA to put in place plans and programmes capable of transforming the Black Stars into a formidable side that would go beyond the quarter-final stage,” Polo to the Graphic Sports in an interview.

“We can go beyond the 2010 World Cup record of reaching the quarter-final stage, and with proper planning by the FA, Ghana can be the first Africa country to go beyond the semi-final stage of the tournament and even win the trophy,” Polo stated.

Ghana made the quarters of the 2010 World Cup and missed out on a place in the semis via penalty shootouts after Asamoah Gyan missed a penalty in the last minute of extra time.

Polo attributes the defeat to Uruguay to hard luck and called on the FA to put in place measures to ensure that Ghana qualifies for the World Cup and go beyond the quarters.

“Only a few countries have reached the quarter-final stage of the World Cup, and in 2010 it was just hard luck that denied Ghana a semi-final berth; it is a proof of our potential and how far we can get to, which the FA and the national team handlers must world hard to achieve.

“Africa, and for that matter Ghana, must look beyond the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup. We must begin to think about what it will take to win the FIFA World Cup and not just be mere participants because we are blessed with talents but we need organisation and planning to get the best out of our talents,” he added.