Mernat Mafirakurewa
Johannesburg – 1995 European and World player of the year, George Weah believes an African team could win next year's World Cup in South Africa.
No African team has progressed beyond the last eight in a World Cup, but 1995 soccer star says whilst it will be a difficult feat, it was not totally impossible for an African team to win the football's ultimate prize than in South Africa next year.
His comments follows those made by former Ghananian soccer great, Abedi Pele who said Nigeria and other African countries have a great chance of winning the first World Cup to be played on the continent next year
“We hope for that, it's not impossible. It's a difficult task but it's not impossible Ghana just won a junior world cup. Why not,?" said
Ghana won the under-20 World Cup last month whilst Nigeria Under 17 were beaten in the finals by Switzerland last weekend .
Weah, said discipline and hard work were the keys to success.
"Years ago, we couldn't partake in the best player of Europe and the world. It happened. There is a high possibility that an African team can win a World Cup if it can prepare well."
Pele, a Champions League winner with Marseille in 1993, was quoted in June as saying: "African teams are coming to this African World Cup to showcase their talent and this is our best chance of getting close to the trophy itself.
"In the history of the World Cup only Brazil has won it outside their own continent, in Sweden in 1958 and in Japan in 2002.
"But here in Africa we will definitely have one team that will go far -- and when I say go far I mean as far as getting the trophy. When I say this people laugh, but I believe it," he said
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