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By Ivan Calvin Sharpe @CalvinIvanShar2
Black Stars midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang Badu has warned the current Black Stars team not to seek revenge against South American opponent Uruguay at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in QATAR.
Ghana heads into the mundial as the lowest FIFA ranked team (61st) amongst the 32 countries set for World Cup participation in Qatar, Middle East, having paired up with 2016 European Champions Portugal, Ghana’s old enemies Uruguay and South Korea in Group H.
The four-time African Champion is set to have a re-union with Uruguay in the second group game after Portugal, certainly a match that rekindles memories of what transpired at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where they exited in the quarterfinals, losing on penalties to the South Americans.
After 120 minutes, the Black Stars was awarded a penalty following a handball clearance by Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez. A goal would have ushered the West Africans into the semi-finals. However, the Black Stars missed out on the historical feat when Ghana’s all-time top scorer Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty.
The U-20 World Cup winner and current Great Olympics midfielder, on the Class Morning Show on Class 91.3 FM, revealed Ghana’s chances at the 2022 World Cup and stressed on the need for the country not to seek vengeance for the devastating 2010 loss at the hands of the Uruguayans.
“Whoever tells you our group is not difficult isn’t telling you the truth…The group is very, very difficult. It is not tricky, but difficult”, Agyemang Badu said.
He warned the Ghana team not to seek revenge against Uruguay without planning well.
“The kind of team the Uruguayans have now, I am afraid…Uruguay sacked their longest serving coach Oscar Tabarez, who spent almost a decade with them, but are still a tough nut to crack under new gaffer Diego Alonso who led the team to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and are currently unbeaten in the last couple of games”.
The 31-year-old midfielder further admitted Uruguay has evolved over the past years with the team currently boasting of top-quality talents plying their trade in major European leagues.
“Edison Cavani, yes he is aging, but he has three goals to his name with club side Valencia in the Spanish league; Darwin Nunez, his exploits with Benfica before moving to Premier League side Liverpool; Luis Suarez is still active; Federico Valverde with Real Madrid is regarded as, arguably, one of the top three midfielders in world football; Rodrigo Bentancur at Tottenham”, Agyemang Badu told the host of the Class FM Morning Show, Kofi Oppong Asamoah.
The Black Stars have been tasked by His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to reach the semis of the World Cup, an expected improvement on the 2010 finish in South Africa.
Coach Otto Addo and his technical team will open camping on November 10, in Abu Dhabi, before the announcement of the complete 26-man squad on November 14.
There is also a final international friendly against the World Cup-bound Switzerland team on November 17.
Ghanaians have pleaded for the Stars to be calm about their match against Uruguay in order not to put pressure on themselves. Agyeman Badu is optimistic:
“[The Black Stars] is an all-round team so I can understand when Ghanaians are fixated on the Uruguayan national team, but for me … with good preparations we can perform in Qatar”.
Emmanuel Agyemang Badu was part of the team that finished at the quarter-final stage of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. That achievement meant Ghana had joined Senegal and Cameroon as the only three African countries to reach that stage of the tournament.