Black Stars begin preparations for AFCON 2025 qualifiers

Ghana's senior football team, The Black Stars of Ghana, is set to begin their initial training session at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday, 2nd September 2024, as they gear up for their 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Angola.

Black Stars Coach, Otto Addo of the announced his 23-man squad yesterday for the upcoming doubleheader against Angola and Niger, as they aim to secure qualification for the next year’s AFCON, which will be held in Morocco.

The invited players are expected to start arriving on Saturday, 31st August 2024, with the full squad anticipated to report to camp by next Monday. The team will then travel to Kumasi on Tuesday to intensify their preparations for the crucial match against Angola scheduled for Thursday, 5th September 2024 at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

Ghana’s Black Stars are determined to make a strong start against the Angolan Antelopes, with further fixtures against group rivals Niger and Sudan, as they seek to secure their 25th appearance at the continental tournament.

Meanwhile, one of the Ghana's outstanding players, Dede Ayew, missed a call up to the team.

Explaining the reason behind Andre Dede Ayew missing from his squad for the second batch of qualifiers in a row on Thursday, August 29, 2024, he pointed out there's a need to build a team for the future and not on contingent needs.

Countryman Songo criticises Otto Addo over squad for AFCON qualifiers

Meanwhile, Ghanaian sports broadcaster Patrick Osei Agyemang, popularly known as Countryman Songo, has strongly criticised Black Stars head coach Otto Addo, labelling him as lazy.

Songo's criticism follows the coach’s decision to include St. Gallen goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi in the latest Black Stars squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

He argues that selecting Ati-Zigi reflects a lack of effort in player scouting, as the coach appears to rely on familiar names rather than seeking fresh talent for his call-ups.

If Lawrence Ati-Zigi is our best goalkeeper and the number one choice, then the coach is lazy. It shows he is not scouting or actively searching for new players, Songo remarked. I don't understand. Did the coach do any scouting? There is only one local player, and that's the goalkeeper Frederick Asare. The foreign-based players called up are not exceptional, yet they are consistently selected.

Songo also expressed his dissatisfaction with the inclusion of just one local player, a goalkeeper, in the squad.

He criticised football administrators, stating they should be ashamed of the decline in the local league, which has failed to produce players worthy of Black Stars selection.

There are no local players. Are you not embarrassed that the league has deteriorated to the point where no local player can make the Black Stars squad? Some players are chosen not because of their abilities but solely because of their names, Songo added.

However, the coach has clarified his reasons for the call up of only one player for the Ghana Premier League. According to him, he places consideration on the value the player would bring to the team, and not the league in which the player is.

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