Ex-Ghana striker, Rev Osei Kofi says the senior national football team, Black Stars, have the fullest blessings of all members of the Black Stars squads that lifted the 1963, 1965, 1978 and 1982 AFCON trophies following fulfilment of long-held promises for winning the continental diadem.

Following loads of disappointments at the biennial competition in recent times, there has long been local belief that the Black Stars' inability to win the tournament since 1982 has been down to grievances harboured by former national team players to whom pledges made by previous governments for winning AFCON titles on four different occasions were not honoured.

Rightfully, the Government of Ghana led by President John Mahama acted; redeeming all said promises with the payment of Ghc1.7m to all squad members of the four different set-ups following the World Cup in 2014.

“Spiritually we were crying and our cry has now been wiped away by what the president has done for us,” the erstwhile 'wizard dribbler’ revealed on Y- Sports Update on Y102.5FM-Kumasi. “We have given our hearts wholeheartedly to the Black Stars,” Osei Kofi told the radio station.

He, however, hastened to throw in some words of caution: “We can’t be blamed for any poor performance by the Stars in Equatorial Guinea if what happened in Brazil repeats itself. They have our support but will have to do the right thing,” he added.

The Black Stars will participate in the 30th edition of African Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea and are pitted in Group C alongside Algeria, Senegal and South Africa. Ghana kicks off her campaign on January 19 against the Teranga Lions of Senegal at Estadio De Mongomo at 16:00GMT.