<p>Kotoka international airport was choked with fans who started gathering as early as six hours before the team’s expected arrival on Monday. Even a two hours delay in arrival from 9:30 pm would not deter the drumming and dancing fans who eagerly awaited the heroes’ return.<br /><br />There were spontaneous shouts of joy when the South African Airways jet the Black Stars flew in touched down at 11:30 pm. National flags were waved at the players as they stepped out of the plane amid a deafening sound of vuvuzelas.<br /><br />Fans carried placards reading “We love you our heroes, you made Ghana and Africa proud”.<br />Ghana’s Black Stars made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time equalling the feat chalked up by Senegal and Cameroon, and became the only African team to make that far at the tournament in South Africa.<br /><br />“You’ve really held high the flag of Ghana and the entire African continent,” Nii Nortey Duah, Deputy Minister of Sports, told the players at the airport. “We did our best but luck was not on our side but we’ll go to Brazil in 2014 to be major contenders,” captain Stephen Appiah said. Kwasi Amponsah, a fan said, “What the boys have done will forever be remembered by the whole world. They displayed quality football only to lose by hard luck”. <br /></p>
<p>Kotoka international airport was choked with fans who started gathering as early as six hours before the team’s expected arrival on Monday. Even a two hours delay in arrival from 9:30 pm would not deter the drumming and dancing fans who eagerly awaited the heroes’ return.<br /><br />There were spontaneous shouts of joy when the South African Airways jet the Black Stars flew in touched down at 11:30 pm. National flags were waved at the players as they stepped out of the plane amid a deafening sound of vuvuzelas.<br /><br />Fans carried placards reading “We love you our heroes, you made Ghana and Africa proud”.<br />Ghana’s Black Stars made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time equalling the feat chalked up by Senegal and Cameroon, and became the only African team to make that far at the tournament in South Africa.<br /><br />“You’ve really held high the flag of Ghana and the entire African continent,” Nii Nortey Duah, Deputy Minister of Sports, told the players at the airport. “We did our best but luck was not on our side but we’ll go to Brazil in 2014 to be major contenders,” captain Stephen Appiah said. Kwasi Amponsah, a fan said, “What the boys have done will forever be remembered by the whole world. They displayed quality football only to lose by hard luck”. <br /></p>