Kofi Annan backing Ghana at the World Cup

Former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan has put all diplomacy aside, deciding to root for his nation, Ghana at the World Cup.

Mr Annan who is the Chair of the Africa Progress Panel is in South Africa to promote the thought-provoking alternative guide to the FIFA World Cup™, 'Scoring for Africa', which seeks to look beyond each country's football prospects to how they compare on bigger issues such as life expectancy and carbon emissions.

But the former UN secretary-general took time to access the chances of the continents representatives which includes his own nation, Ghana.

He started by admitting his passion for the game by saying: “Yes, I am a football fan. I love the game and I played it as a young man up to and through my university years. I played on the right wing because I was a sprinter. But now I only sit in the armchair and follow it. I will be going to the Final, hopefully to see an African team play in it.”

Mr Annan says despite the absence of some experienced players in the Ghana team, he would not rule out the Black Stars who are paired in Group D with Serbia, Australia and Germany.

“We have a good team but a rather young one. Some of the experienced players are not going to be able to play because of injuries but this is a young team, they have a strong heart and determination and I would not rule them out. I will be rooting for them.”

For him, his hope will be to see an Africa side reach the final

“Several of the African teams should do well – maybe I am a dreamer but I would love to see one of them in the Final. But there are other strong sides like Italy, Spain, the Brazilians, the Argentinians. England will also have their hopes but I would not be so bold as to predict who will win the Cup.”