Deputy Black Stars captain Richard Ofori will play against his peers from the South African Premier League if given the nod by Coach Charles Akonnor in Ghana’s World Cup qualifier against Bafana Bafana at the FNB stadium in Johannesburg. The Orlando Pirates goalkeeper has been speaking to the media ahead of the match. The full transcript is captured below.
On thoughts about the game
This game is very important not for only me but the entire nation. We know how Ghanaians love the game and how important it is to win this match. Because we want to go to the World Cup, that’s the stage that every player wants to play so it’s very important for the team and the Nation. I am going to face most of players that I know very well. I know their qualities, they are very good. But at the end of the day we need to show that we are Ghana and the most important are, we need to win.
On playing in South Africa and whether it plays to Ghana’s advantage
We can’t say we have an advantage over them because these days football has changed. Everyone knows how to play, all the countries have developed and a case in point is the recent AFCON in Egypt where Madagascar shocked the world. But it’s a matter of who wants it more.
On what is on the minds of his colleagues
I know my colleagues, we have been together for a couple of days and we want it badly so at the end of the day it’s just a matter of who wants it more so it is determination and we are determined and we hope everything will go well on the field of play so that at the end of the fay we will make our country proud.
On social media comments and criticisms
In the first place, I don’t read those things though. I don’t go on social media or Twitter to read those things. I haven’t seen something about me before; I haven’t seen something about me before. But definitely we are in a country that expects more from us so wearing this jersey means a lot because the people expects more.
On winning and not necessarily playing well
The things our predecessors did have made things what it is today. That is the nature of our country, so you need to adapt to the pressure and make sure you make them proud by winning. One thing I understand in the game is that, all the big teams in the World, it’s not a matter of how well you play; it’s a matter of who is winning and who has won trophies, which is the most important thing that everyone talks about. So the most important thing is to understand that as a nation we need to win as a team. The victory is the most important thing, so we go in, we hope everything goes well and hopefully we carry the three points.
