Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kurt Okraku says the Black Challenge have the full backing of the association as they prepare for the upcoming Amputee World Cup.

The national amputee football team have received a major financial boost following a $500,000 investment from Gold Fields, which is expected to strengthen their preparations and participation in the tournament.

Speaking to the team on Tuesday, Okraku recalled the financial difficulties that affected Ghana’s participation in previous editions, leaving the players without the necessary support to compete.

He said the latest investment had provided renewed confidence that the team would be adequately prepared for the competition.

“Once upon a time, you arrived [at the Amputee World Cup] and could not compete at all because you did not get the support. Today, we are very confident that this team will travel to the World Cup because Gold Fields decided to invest half a million dollars in this team,” he said.

Okraku also commended the GFA for standing behind the team throughout the preparations, saying the association had worked to address challenges and create the right conditions for the players to compete.

“I am very happy that from the word go, the GFA has been with you [Black Challenge] throughout the journey, trying to fix the problems to create an enabling environment for you to go and compete [at the Amputee World Cup],” he added.

Ghana will be hoping to put the disappointment of 2018 behind them after financial constraints and travel difficulties prevented the team from participating in that year’s competition.

The Black Challenge will be targeting another strong performance, having finished sixth at the tournament in Argentina.

The team heads into the competition with an impressive record, having won back-to-back African Amputee Cup of Nations titles and gold at the 2023 African Para Games.

Ghana have been drawn in Group D alongside Angola, Colombia and Iraq as they seek to make an impact on the global stage.