Black Stars: Securing qualification for 2022 World Cup is my priority now – Milovan Rajevac

Milovan Rajevac, the newly appointed Ghana coach has said his immediate priority is to secure a qualification for the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

The 67-year-old has been tasked to end the country’s 39 year Africa Cup of Nations [Afcon] trophy drought next year and steer the Black Stars to qualify for the 2022 Fifa Mundial in Qatar.

Quizzed if he is under pressure to achieve the target set out to him by the Ghana Football Association [GFA], the Serbian said his immediate priority is to secure a qualification for the global showpiece and not thinking about winning the Afcon for now.

He stressed that he will strategize for the Afcon when the time comes.

“Africa Cup of Nations [Afcon] is in four months away but our next important match is in two weeks and that is important for me and that is how I work.

“We shouldn’t forget about the qualification but for now, we are building a team and when the time comes for Afcon, of course, we will talk about that but the focus now is our next match and that is what is important to me,” he added.

The Black Stars sit 3rd in Group G with three points after two matches played and will play Zimbabwe in a doubleheader next month.

However, the four-time African champions in Group C alongside Morocco, Gabon and Comoros for the tournament scheduled to be hosted in Cameroon next year.

The Black Stars last won Africa’s prestigious tournament in 1982 but have come close in 1992, 2010 and 2015.

Milovan Rajevac will pocket a sum of $600,000 should he be able to win the Afcon and qualify the country for the Mundial in Qatar.

Rajevac previously coached the Black Stars in 2008 and finished as runner-up at the Cup of Nations in 2010, also narrowly missing out on a semi-final place in the 2010 World Cup to Uruguay.

He left the Ghana job in September 2008 and subsequently joined Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia.