Ghana’s Richard Ofori Opens Up on the Heartbreak of Missing FIFA World Cup

Ghana’s Richard Ofori Opens Up on the Heartbreak of Missing FIFA World Cup

Byron Pillay
July 16, 2023 at 11:43 AM
In this article:
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  • Richard Ofori described how difficult it was not to play in the FIFA World Cup last year for Ghana
  • Ofori suffered a knee injury while playing for Orlando Pirates and was ruled out of the tournament
  • Pirates will be competing in the CAF Champions League, and Ofori is excited about the opportunity

Missing out on playing at the FIFA World Cup was difficult for Ghana’s Richard Ofori.

The Orlando Pirates keeper recently opened up about the experience of not playing in the tournament and the opportunity of playing in the CAF Champions League.

Richard Ofori catches the ball during Ghana's game against Tunisia.
Richard Ofori has opened up on how heartbreaking it was to miss out on playing in the FIFA World Cup last season. Image: Ulrik Pedersen
Source: Getty Images

As noted by iDiskiTimes, Ofori described missing out on the tournament as difficult to deal with.

“Missing the World Cup was very challenging because every player’s dream is to play the biggest tournaments in the world. I was very disappointed not to be there,” he said.

Ofori, the vice-captain of the Ghanaian team, was a guaranteed selection for the tournament in Qatar.

As noted by The Citizen, Ofori picked up a knee injury before the tournament started and was not selected for the 26-man squad.

With the World Cup heartbreak behind him, Ofori is now focused on a new season with Pirates after signing a contract extension.

The Black Stars shot-stopper is particularly excited about playing in the CAF Champions League.

“The CAF Champions League is one of the biggest tournaments we have on the African continent, and it’s a dream to play in it.”
“The competition is very good. As Pirates, we are in it to compete and not just there to add numbers. We’re going there to compete, and the other clubs know what Orlando Pirates can offer on a good day,” he added.

Pirates won the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup last season and will be looking to build on it.

Ofori’s Confederations Cup heartbreak

Sports Brief earlier reported how Ghana’s Richard Ofori and compatriot Kwame Peprah experienced heartbreak in the CAF Confederations Cup.

Ofori and Peprah were on the losing side as Orlando Pirates lost on penalty shootouts to Moroccan side RS Berkane in the finals.

The Ghanaian duo played a pivotal role in ensuring the South African giants reached their first continental finals since 2013.

Authors
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Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.
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