Africa For Final Initiative launched in Accra

The Africa for Final Initiative (AFI) has been launched at the Media Center of the Accra Sports Stadium on Thursday December 5, 2013 with the main mission and motive as to support African teams at the 2014 FIFA World Cup to go on to the final. Kwame Ofei leader / chairman of the group said the World Cup is the biggest sporting and social event in the world and the stakeholders total over half the world’s population. He expressed that the euphoria and excitement surrounding the World Cup is unparalleled and it brings continents, countries, people and cultures together.

According to Mr. Ofei, the amazing support given to the Black Stars b the entire African continent after Ghana emerged as the only African country to advance beyond the group stage to the quarter finals during the 2010 competition in South Africa instigated the establishment of the AFRICAN FOR FINAL INITIATIVE project.

He said the project hopes to create a support and fans base representing the entire continent to rally behind the African countries that would participate in the 2014 tournament and beyond. “This project is borne out of the belief and conviction that African football has certainly come of age and that an African country is capable of reaching the final in Brazil 2014” he said. Kwame Ofei recalled the genesis of the FIFAWorld Cup in Uruguay without an African nation and after four years when Egypt represented the continent with Abdulrahman Fawzi writing his name as the first African player to score a goal at the World Cup against Hungary. He recounted the efforts of Zaire in 1974 after Morocco had done well drawing with Bulgaria to win Africa’s first point at the tournament, after losing to Germany and Peru. “Upon close examination of previous performances by African teams, we realize that a number of factors such as financial, administrative, technical and organizational challenges have affected the chances of these teams” he said

He acknowledged that most of these difficulties have been positively addressed and African players are robbing shoulders with their counterparts in major leagues everywhere, and African teams are doing very well in competitions.

Mr. Ofei said the AFI seeks to inculcate the spirit of friendship and togetherness among the African teams and 2014 World Cup is their immediate rationale.

AFI intends to build a platform to help discover, develop and nurture talents among the youth in various sports disciplines and help them achieve their potentials and the ultimate final or the gold.

Heads of states would be chief patrons and the support base is expected to be widening everyday. AFI support group would motivate and encourage all the five teams and they have the choice and chance to travel to every venue that Africans are performing. AFI hopes to collaborate with agents’ thoughout Africa and globally to ensure that the project is fully coordinated, both on the continent and Brazil, venue of the FIFA World cup.. AFI believes the African Union (AU) would be happy to se an African team as champions, and appealed to the AU to use its good offices to support the campaign to raise five thousand (5,000) supporters to Brazil 2014.

The management board of AFI include former Ghana’s Ambassodor to Brazil Ambassador Yaw Adjei who is vice chairman of AFI , Captain (rtd) Osei Danso, Nii Okai Mensah, Nana Osei, Nii Osae Mensah and Dr. Randy Mensah .

Mr. Ofei stressed that the project is not intended to whip up any politician or continental sentiments, nor breed acrimony, rancor and bitterness against the other continents, but rather to use this opportunity to bring African people together for the common goal of encouraging and motivating an African team to reach the final and possibly win the cup.