Avram Grant : Nigeria ’ll win the World Cup if…

Black Stars of Ghana man­ager, Avram Grant, in this exclusive interview tipped the Nigeria’s Super Eagles to win the FIFA if the three-time African champi­ons groom its budding star to stardom.

Grant, who led Chel­sea FC to the first ever Champions League fi­nal believes with array of talents that abound, the country stands a chance of lifting the global crown in a few years to come. The Israeli made this as­sertion when our man, Bunmi Ogunyale, cor­nered him in Dakar.

Excerpts…

Congratulations on your appointment as black Stars of Ghana manager

Thank you.

But what knowledge have you about African football before taking up this appointment?

Well, I know there are talents in African football and there are countries on the continent that have posted a surprise feat at the World Cup. I know countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Cote d’ Ivoire have at one time or the other im­pressed at that level of football. You will also agree with me that I have managed some African stars like Michael Essien, Sulley Mutari, John Obi Mikel and Kanu Nwankwo to mention a few. So, I have lots of ideas about African football and I have been putting it to use since my ar­rival in Ghana.

You took up the role as the Black Stars of Ghana manager about a month to the AFCON 2015 and led the team to the final. What magic did you do to transform the Ghanaians within a short period?

It is no magic but I was to psyche the players that the opportunity to win the trophy has come since there were no Nigeria and Egypt in the competition and that we only have Ivory Coast to battle for the title. And having realised this, the players rose up to the challenge and they were ready to win the title and we got to the final.

So, what lessons did you take back to Ghana after?

Initially, the Ghana Football Federation wanted to contract me for the Nations Cup only but the agreement was later extended just before I put pen to paper for the Black Stars and I have also been assigned the role to oversee all the national teams and that is why I’m here in Senegal.

Back to your question, there are numer­ous lessons from the Nations Cup and I said earlier that talents are abound in Africa, but the players must be disciplined and also be tactical in their game. Most times, African players tend to play to the gallery at the expense of the team destiny and this is not good enough.

How soon do you think an African country can win the World Cup?

I believe an African country can lay its hands on the World Cup trophy in the next 10 editions, but they must be getting to the semi finals regularly. By that they would have got used to what it takes to beat the other South American and European coun­tries to the title.

Nigeria got the op­portunity to go all the way in USA ‘94 but they fell by the way in the second round to lost of concentration against Italy. That year, Nigeria would have got close to win­ning it because they have a strong squad. I think they can repeat if these loss of Flying Eagles allowed to remain and get pro­moted into the senior national team.

Have you noticed any talented players here in Senegal or outside this com­petition since your arrival in Africa?

I want to say this is not my first time com­ing to Africa. I have always come to Af­rica, even before my appointment in Ghana. So, I know African footballers and their mentality very well.

As a matter of fact, Africa is blessed with talents in abundant. I have seen and monitored the progress of players like Kelechi Iheanacho with Manchester City, Taiwo Awoniyi who is here with the Flying Eagles. I believe these are the future stars and we should just wait for a few more years to see these players perform wonders at the highest level of the game.

So, what is your target for Ghanaian football and what do you want to be remembered for in Ghana?

My mission in Ghana is a simple one and that is to rebuild the Ghanaian national teams. If you want to achieve anything at the top, you must begin from the scratch and the process is ongo­ing now. We need to discover fresh talents, nurture and expose them to become better players for their country in the nearest future. So that is what I wanted to be remembered for in Ghana.

What is your assessment of the African Youth Champi­onship, since your arrival in Senegal for the tournament?

I must confess that the stan­dard has been very high and so many countries have come to the tournament with good players and are likely to be world stars in the future. The teams have also displayed high knowledge of the game and I’m quiet im­pressed.

We have countries like Nige­ria, Mali, Senegal, South Africa and Ghana with great talents here. Trust me, some of these players are going places in the game.

As one-time manager of Nigeria’s John Obi Mikel, Nwankwo Kanu and Yakubu Aiyegbeni in the English Pre­mier League. What are your impressions about the men while you were their coach?

I’m a manager that doesn’t care about where you come from as far as you are a professional and you showed me that profes­sionalism in you on the pitch. Anyway, these three players you have mentioned are quiet important to me and have played major roles under me at one time or the other. Mikel was with me at Chelsea and we qualified for the Champions League final. He’s a dedicated player and he’s a professional to the core because he listens and adhere to instructions.

Yakubu and Kanu are both great players too, though, Kanu had retired now, but they showed tremendous discipline and knowledge of the game while we were together at Portsmouth.