“beating England Will Spark Biggest Party In Ghana”-mensah

John Mensah

Ghana captain John Mensah last night claimed beating England will spark the biggest party his country has ever seen.

Sunderland defender Mensah says that, despite England boss Fabio Capello resting some of his biggest names, the friendly is still a matter of national pride for Ghana.

It is 54 years since Ghana, then known as the Gold Coast, gained independence from Great Britain and this is the first time they have ever played England.

“We have been speaking about this game for some time,” said Mensah. “We know we have a big game ahead of us.

“This is the first time we will play each other, and because Ghana got its independence from England this is a historical match. It will not be easy. We respect England. But we will make sure we get the victory.

“What happens if we win? Accra will turn upside down! No, all of Ghana will turn upside down!

“When we were at the World Cup we would speak to our relatives and they would tell us stories of what was happening back home.

“When we won games, people went crazy with joy. People were dying. I’m serious. Every time we won, a lot of people would die. Many of them would be overcome with joy and do crazy things, drive all over the road.

“You can say that this is one of the reasons we lost against Uruguay (in the quarter-finals). When we played in that game it was like we were not meant to win.

“Maybe God did not want more blood to be spilled because of a football match.”

Ghana reached the World Cup quarter-finals with the whole of Africa cheering them on and they showed at the weekend they are determined to carry that on.

Prince Tagoe, Dominic Adiyiah and Sulley Muntari scored in a 3-0 win over Congo, while Mensah’s Sunderland team-mate Asamoah Gyan watched from the stands because of suspension.

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien will also only be a spectator for the Wembley game, having said that he wants to concentrate on club football for the moment but will return to play for Ghana again.

With that boost, Ghana boss Goran Stevanovic believes his team will grow from strength to strength and will have something to prove against England.

But Stevanovic admits he needs Essien back to help Ghana achieve their number one target – winning next year’s African Nations Cup.

Stevanovic said: “To win the Nations Cup, I need players who know what winning is like – like Essien and [Champions League winner] Muntari.

“In the next one to two years, Ghana will be one of best teams in the world.”