Former President Jerry John Rawlings has urged the Black Stars to go into their opening World Cup game against Serbia on Sunday with all determination to succeed.

In a goodwill message, he urged the players to do battle as though their very lives depended on it, urging unity among players, managers and technical bench.

He said the entire continent was looking up to the Black Stars, convinced that their previous exciting performance at Germany 2006 was no fluke but a mark of what challenge the Ghanaian can rise up to.

The former President said: “The entire world has great expectations of Ghana because many believe your performances at the 2006 World Cup coupled with several achievements over the past two decades including winning the World Youth Cup in 2009 and the achievements of the Starlets in 1991 and beyond, prove how formidable any Ghanaian side can be.

“Few thought Ghana will manage to beat the likes of the Czech Republic and the United States in the last World Cup, but through a combination of skills, discipline and determination Ghana proved that it was a force to reckon with".

Rawlings said: “In South Africa you face very tough opponents and so much is expected of you. Yesterday’s matches gave us a taste of how unrelenting each side could be. The matches were full of speed, energy and determination.

Wishing the team good luck and God's blessings, former President Rawlings said, “This is war, gentlemen. Tackle each match as if your lives depended on it because the whole of Ghana and indeed the African continent expect you to hold high the mantle of Africa.

“Great victories are won by a sense of perseverance, belief, sense of purpose and a desire to die for one’s country. When you line up against Serbia and in subsequent games let these values be your guide.

“I enjoin the management, technical team and players to work together as a unit and ensure that every facet of preparations towards matches is tackled with a sense of seriousness expected of a side that is desirous of making history."