Minister of Sports and Recreation, Hon. Kofi Iddie Adams paid a visit to the Black Stars earlier today ahead of the herculean clash against Mali on Monday in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The four-time African champions had the opportunity to extend their lead in Group I but gave away a goal-lead to play out an embarrassing 1-1 draw against Chad last Thursday in N’Djamena.
The draw once again sparked conversations in the media space among football fans, administrators and pundits. While some believe some of the players ain’t committed enough, others also attributed the blame to the Sports Minister stating his timing for the announcement of the budget was very wrong.
However, the Minister Hon. Kofi Adams was at the Alisa Hotel this morning where he admitted the results in the last game was a disappointing one but has then urged them to go all out for nothing but a win against Mali next week. He further assured the entire squad of the support of the President H.E John Dramani Mahama.
“We don’t have any player better than you. Of course, we’re all disappointed by the outcome of the match against Chad.
“We’re not happy that things went the way they did, but we can always bounce back with a positive response against Mali.
I’m here to convey compliments and best wishes from His Excellency John Mahama, President of the Republic, to you.
“He would have wished to be here to speak to you, but other engagements have taken him elsewhere. He sent me to come and urge you to go for the win on Monday.
“I spoke with the Chairman, Dr. Randy Abbey, and we agreed that we’d have a meeting with you today to wish you all the best and assure you of the support of the President and the people of Ghana,” Minister Kofi Adams said.
He was accompanied by CAF 2nd Vice President and President of the GFA, Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, Black Stars Management Committee Chairman Dr. Randy Abbey, Vice Chairman Stephen Appiah, and member Samuel Aboabire.
The Black Stars are currently topping Group I with 16 points after 5 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in 7 matches in the African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America.
The game against Mali is slated for 19:00GMT at the Ohene Gyan Stadium on Monday September 8, 2025.
