[ 2012-01-07 ]

Team spirit can propel us to title - Mensah
If Goran Stevanovic's team are to annex the
African Nations Cup title for a record fifth time,
team bonding is one of the key elements that must
be sustained, says John Mensah.

Mensah, captain of the Black Stars believes the
squad needs to reproduce the spirit of Angola,
where they won silver and go one step better in
their 2012 campaign.

Two years ago, the team short of many regular
starters, defied the odds to reach the final,
showing great team spirit.

And before the 25-man squad leaves Accra on Friday
for their base in Rustenburg, South Africa to
begin camping ahead of the Nations Cup finals in
Gabon-Equatorial Guinea on January 21, Mensah
reechoing the importance of team spirit as one of
the major contributors that can help them seal a
fifth title success.

"We have the team spirit. There is love and unity
amongst the team and that is great for a group
going into such a competition," Mensah told
www.ghanafa.org.

"We do everything together, work for each other.
There's respect for every player. No one is
overlooked. It's one thing that I like about the
group. And we show respect to our technical team
and work hand-in-hand with them."

"Every time we get to camp, we are a big family
whether you are playing or not. We share jokes and
help each other. This brings unity and it helps us
train hard to meet our targets to achieve
something great for our nation."

"The strong bond feels us with motivation to fight
not as individuals but as a team."

With so much at stake, the Ghana captain is
certain the team can tap into their past campaigns
to fuel them in the competition ahead.

"The pride of representing the nation gives us
enough motivation to give something back to the
country. And with the prayers and support of the
entire nation, God willing, we can do it," he
said.

Ghana's first 2012 African Nations Cup game in
Group D will be against newcomers, Botswana on
Tuesday January 24.

The side will follow up their opener with fixtures
against West African rivals, Mali four days later
and Guinea on February 1. Both games will be
played at the same venue.

The three-week event will start on January 21 and
end on February 12, 2012.

Source - Ghana FA

... go Back