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Johannesburg - Former president Nelson Mandela is cheering for Ghana in their World Cup quarter-final on Friday, and sent a letter to the country's football federation to encourage them, his foundation said.
"On the historic occasion of the first FIFA World Cup to be hosted in Africa, it is a great pleasure to see that Ghana has reached the quarter finals," Mandela wrote.
"We join everybody on the continent and in the diaspora in wishing you success in the tournament going forward," he said in the letter to the Ghana Football Association's president, Kwesi Nyantakyi.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who turns 92 this month and appears increasingly frail, was instrumental in bringing the World Cup to South Africa but has yet to appear at the tournament.
He cancelled a planned appearance at the opening match on June 11 after his great-granddaughter was killed in a car accident on the eve of the first match.
Ghana is only the third African team to make the quarter-finals. If they beat Uruguay on Friday, they would become the first African team in the semi-finals.
"On the historic occasion of the first FIFA World Cup to be hosted in Africa, it is a great pleasure to see that Ghana has reached the quarter finals," Mandela wrote.
"We join everybody on the continent and in the diaspora in wishing you success in the tournament going forward," he said in the letter to the Ghana Football Association's president, Kwesi Nyantakyi.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who turns 92 this month and appears increasingly frail, was instrumental in bringing the World Cup to South Africa but has yet to appear at the tournament.
He cancelled a planned appearance at the opening match on June 11 after his great-granddaughter was killed in a car accident on the eve of the first match.
Ghana is only the third African team to make the quarter-finals. If they beat Uruguay on Friday, they would become the first African team in the semi-finals.
