DR Kofi Amoah, chairman of the erstwhile Local Organising Committee (LOC) of Ghana 2008 says the senior national team, the Black Stars, have the potential to win the 2014 World Cup to be hosted in Brazil. According to Dr Amoah, the splendid performance of the team in the Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010 World Cup tournaments, places Ghana among the league of countries capable of winning the cup in 2014. Dr Amoah, who made this known in an interview, said “Ghana has a great advantage to be the first African country to win the World Cup, and that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) must plan ahead and have a scheduled programme of activities that will put the team in good shape ahead of the tournament”. The former LOC chairman noted GFA must hold discussions with the government and find out how to overcome obstacles in the way of the team and the task of accomplishing greater things in the World Cup to be hosted by Brazil. According to him, prior to Germany 2006, Ghana had missed out on the World Cup for a very long time and added that the $3 million sponsorship from Gold Fields turned the fortunes of the Black Stars around because it helped the team to hold serious training sessions in Kenya ahead of the South Africa tournament. It also enabled the GFA to hire the services of a nutritionist, as well as a psychologist for the team. Dr Amoah believes that “in tournaments such as the World Cup, the nation stands to benefit hugely if the team performs well. "There is $40 million prize money for the winners of the Brazilian tournament, and when the government commits a little more money into preparations the dividends will be high for the country”. He deplored the last-minute attitude of soccer administrators towards the planning of such important events and called for a more concerted action for this particular tournament. Source: Graphic Sports