Kurt Okraku: This is the worst South African team I’ve seen in years

Kurt Okraku said this poor Bafana Bafana side does not deserve to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The GFA boss was responding to allegations of match-fixing and match manipulation levelled by the South Africa Football Association (SAFA) following their 1-0 defeat to Ghana last Sunday.

South Africa failed to qualify for the World Cup play-offs after finishing behind the Black Stars in Group G based on goals scored.

Kurt Okraku Pulse Ghana

SAFA subsequently lodged a complaint at FIFA against the match officials, alleging that the game was manipulated.

Reacting to this while addressing the media in Accra, Mr. Okraku said SAFA’s lack of respect for Ghana is unacceptable.

“This is the worst South African team I have seen in the last five years and they do not deserve to qualify, he said.

“I am so angry about their attitude and they are so disrespectful about the quality of things we have here in Ghana.

“It is not correct for people to show so much disrespect to a powerful football nation like Ghana and this must not happen again.”

Meanwhile, the GFA on Thursday issued a strong-worded statement to counter allegations of match-fixing levelled by SAFA.

The Association took exception to the allegations, referring to them as frivolous, baseless and lacking merit.

“We wish to state categorically that the allegations are frivolous, baseless and lacks merits and should be treated with all the contempt that it deserves,” a section of the statement said.

“These allegations from South Africa Football Association are nothing but a planned scheme and a calculated attempt to shift focus from the defeat, divert attention from their failure to qualify for the play-offs and unjustly dent the hard-earned victory of the Black Stars.”

It added: “The Ghana Football Association will not allow the SAFA to visit its incompetence on it through these allegations… The Ghana Football Association call on the South African Football Association to responsibly accept defeat and show respect to the Black Star’s achievement on the field, for this is not the first time Ghana has defeated South Africa and this will not be the last time.”

Meanwhile, FIFA has acknowledged receipt of SAFA’s complaint, saying investigations are ongoing into the allegations.