Black Stars to camp in South Africa ahead of 2023 AFCON
AL RAYYAN, QATAR – NOVEMBER 28: Mohammed Salisu of Ghana celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group H match between Korea Republic and Ghana at Education City Stadium on November 28, 2022 in Al Rayyan, Qatar. (Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has officially confirmed that the Black Stars will pitch camp in Johannesburg, South Africa ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) next year.
As per the official statement by the football Association, the team will open camp on Sunday, December 31.
The team is expected to stay in camp for approximately ten days before they depart to the Ivory Coast for the tournament.
As part of preparation plans, the team will take on Botswana in a friendly encounter in Johannesburg.
Meanwhile, head coach of the team, Chris Hughton has announced a 55-man provisional squad for the tournament.
The squad include Asante Kotoko midfielder, Richmond Lamptey and Medeama SC’s Jonathan Sowah, Fatawu Hamidu and Felix Kyei all of the Ghana Premier League.
West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus, Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew and Athletic Bilbao’s Inaki Williams are familiar names included in the provisional squad.
However, Tariq Lamptey and Kamaldeen Sulemana have been ruled out of the tournament due to various degrees of injuries despite being named in the provisional squad.
The final 27-man squad is expected to be announced on January 3.
The GFA has additionally declared that media coverage of the Black Stars’ training sessions in South Africa, as part of their preparations for the AFCON, is strictly prohibited.
Ghana, who are seeking to win its fifth continental title have been housed in Group B and will face Cape Verde, Egypt and Mozambique in the tournament which is slated to kick off from January 13 to February 11.
The Black Stars of Ghana will first come up against Cape Verde at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 14, 2024, then face Egypt at the same venue four days later and then Mozambique at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on January 22, 2024.
Below is Ghana’s provisional squad: