BENEFITS OF QUALIFYING FOR WORLD CUP

Some leading sports analysts in the country have underscore the importance of qualifying for the World Cup.

According to the analysts qualifying for the World Cup does not only bring financial benefits to a country but it also has a spill over effect into other facets of life.

The sports analysts who include former SWAG Award winner and legal practitioner Samuel Fiifi Bartels, UEFA Liscenced Coach Nana Kwaku Agyemang, Host of Stage Africa on GTV Jerry Kwame Ayensu, and Papa Yaw Asare were speaking Tuesday night on 'Inside Afrika' a Pan African Development Programme on Accra based Radio Univers.

Speaking on the significance of the World Cup to Africa's development, all the sports analyst were of the view that qualifying for the World Cup would have a positive impact on Africa's development.

For instance, Sammy Bartels said “one of the only things that could take peoples mind from the politics and the poverty they may be suffering from is football. People would be willing to go hungry just to watch football.”

According to Mr Bartels football like other sports “have always had a way of bringing peace among people…that is why the World Cup is the single biggest show piece event across the world, and you have so many different countries participating over the years.”

Bartels also noted that, the benefits of the World Cup spills into other areas that is why many companies as well as hawkers on the streets tend to make a lot of good business during the World Cup season.

On his part, Nana Kwaku Agyemang agreed that the World Cup has positive benefits but in his view, African countries can benefit more from the World Cup when they have football associations that are autonomous and economically viable.

Nana Agyemang was also of the view that Africa is under-represented at the World Cup.

According to him the time has come for FIFA to increase the number of African teams that can participate in the World Cup from 5 to about 10.