After putting through a morale boosting phone call 24 hours before Ghana went on to beat Rwanda, hosts of the Africa Youth Championship, a win which earned the Black Satellites a semi-final place, Ghana’s President, Prof. John Evans Atta-Mills is counting on the team to now go for the title.
President Mills called the squad on Friday, a day before the final group A clash, to encourage the players to go for victory and seal their place in the second round of the tournament.
Ghana, spurred on by the good wishes went on to beat the host nation 2-0 on Saturday to secure one of the places in the semi-finals and also book their spot at the Fifa Under-20 World Youth Championship to be held in Egypt later in September.
The President after congratulating the entire playing body, technical team and management personnel for completing the double – reaching the semi-finals and the World stage – says, he believes in the team’s qualities to reach the final and win the title, which would be Ghana’s third in the competitions history.
Whiles showing his gratitude for the performance of the Black Satellites, the President has promised the entire team a financial package for qualifying for World Youth Championship after having missed out since 2001.
“In appreciation for your splendid performance, His Excellency, the President has decided to offer the team a qualification bonus similar to the winning bonus at the group stage,” the message by the President read.
Ghana plays South Africa in one of the semi-final meetings on Wednesday.