ACCRA, Feb 9: Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has tipped an African team to reach the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup to be hosted by South Africa.

“At this Nations Cup, we have seen two great semi-finals. The level is very good and this has to be so when you know that most of these teams have several players playing at the top level in Europe,” said Mourinho, who is in Ghana to watch the final of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.

“There has been colour, enthusiastic crowds, positive atmosphere. I’m sorry that Ghana and Ivory Coast are not in the final but that’s the beauty of the game. “Now Africa is ready to take the next stage. By next stage I don’t mean win the World Cup, that would be too drastic. But an African team could get to the quarter-finals or even the semi-finals.”

Cameroon and Senegal are the two African teams who have thus far reached the last eight of the World Cup. The Indomitable Lions lost out to England in the quarter-finals at the 1990 World Cup in Italy while Senegal were stopped at that stage of the 2002 tournament by Turkey.

Mourinho again dismissed talks that he would be interested in working with a national team, whether in Europe or Africa.—AFP