Guinness Ghana Limited, official sponsors of the Black Stars, last Wednesday made good their promise to give an additional ?100 million bonus to the senior national team if they qualified for the Group stage of the 2006 World Cup qualifying series when the Stars beat their Somali counterparts 2-0 at the Kumasi Sports Stadium.

A delighted Guinness Ghana Managing Director, Mr Devlin Hainsworth, who handed over the cheque to the Stars’ captain, Stephen Appiah, after the match, described the victory and eventual qualification to the group stage as a positive step in the right direction which has brought joy to many Ghanaians.

He, however, urged the team to work even harder as they were likely to meet stronger teams ahead. “Guinness Ghana will be behind you, believes that with full and continuous national support you can qualify for the first-ever World Cup tournament”, Mr Gainsworth added.

Captain Appiah who scored the first goal thanked Guinness Ghana for the consistent support over the years, even when the team was not winning many matches. “We are indeed very grateful and believe we will get to the world stage with this kind of assistance behind us.”