Black Stars captain John Mensah says he is very excited with the news of his eligibility to play for Ghana after the semi-final stage of the African Cup of Nations.

Mensah was expelled during Ghana’s quarter-final match with Nigeria as talk about the possibility of sitting out for two more matches in the tournament persisted.

However, the defender was handed a one-match suspension by the Disciplinary Board of the Confederation of African Football which bars him from playing in Thursday’s semi-final match against Cameroon.

The chance of playing in the final if Ghana beat Cameroon on Thursday has put some cheer back on the face of the captain as he happily signed autographs for fans in Accra today.

“I am so happy with the news about my suspension. Though I would miss the semi-final, I trust my colleagues to win and hand us (Ghana) a final berth.

“Initially, I was disheartened because we were so committed to winning something for the country. Now, I have the chance to play again. And I must say a big thank you to my colleague for holding on and beating Nigeria.

“We would always fight for our country. We want to give something back to the people,” John Mensah told www.ghanafa.org.

John Mensah would be in the stands when Ghana plays Cameroon on Thursday and he is aware of the huge expectation.

“It’s difficult watching from the sidelines. But that’s what fate has given us. I would try to remain calm and support them to victory.

“We really want to play in the final and win it,” the Ghana captain added.