World Cup: I will be disappointed if Black Stars fail to qualify from the group stages - Fatawu Dauda

Ghana Black Stars' former goalkeeper, Fatawu Dauda has said despite the difficult group (GROUP H: Portugal, Uruguay, and South Korea) Ghana finds itself in the World Cup, they can still excel in the tournament.

According to the ex-goalie, he and the entire country would be disappointed if Ghana failed to make it out of the group stages, just as disappointed in the 2014 Brazil tournament.

The former Nigerian-based Enyimba FC goalkeeper told the media at Adjiringanor Sports Complex in East Legon on Saturday, July 16, when he graced the launch of a unity football tournament organized by the King of the Igbo community in Ghana as part of their activities to mark the 10th anniversary of the Igbo throne in Ghana.

"I will be disappointed if they fail to qualify from the group stages to the next level, and I think every Ghanaian will also be just as disappointed as they were after our last appearance (Brazil 2014)," he said.

The one-time World Cup-appearing keeper asserted that qualifying for the competition itself is a plus and, as such, the players should make good use of the opportunity and use the previous appearances as inspiration.

"It's a plus for us to qualify. I can see they are making good preparations and when they take inspiration from the previous ones," he stated.

He adds, "They can even bring home the trophy because in football, everything is possible and it's achievable."

Giving a clue on how the Black Stars can bring home the trophy, he said, "I will advise them to take it match after match and keep in mind that, to be able to make it to the final, they need to win 6 matches, so they can perform better and make their family, supporters and the entire nation proud."

Fatawu Dauda made two game appearances in the 2014 Brazil World Cup. Having exhibited a great exploit in the match against Germany, he went on to play against Portugal, where Ghana was defeated by two goals to one (2-1).

Ghana Black Stars is set to make its fourth World Cup appearance in the coming Qatar 2022 tournament in November.