31 Black Stars invited to camp

GHANA'S march towards next year's World Cup and Nations Cup finals would move up gear today when the Black Stars assemble to begin preparations towards this month's double header against Liberia and Congo DR in Accra.

The Stars take on the Congolese on January before hosting the Lone Stars two weeks later.

Yesterday, newly-appointed coach Cecil Jones Attuquayefio named a strong, 31-man squad around whom to plot his strategy for the two matches. It comprises 22 foreign-based players and their local counterparts, mainly from reigning African champions Hearts of Oak, who are to report to camp at the Wangara Hotel and begin training this afternoon.

Interestingly, all the players featured prominently under the reign of former Italian coach Giuseppe Dossena.

The players include skipper Charles Akonnor, Deputy skipper Samuel Osei Kuffour, George Blay, Stephen Appiah, Richard Kingston, Alex Nyarko, Mark Edusei, Emmanuel Duah, Yaw Preko, Kwame Ayew and Sam Johnson.

Others include Stephen Baidoo, Gerald Asamoah, Peter Ofori-Quaye, Otto Addo, Augustine Ahinful, Kofi Amponsah, Eben Dugbartey, Felix Aboagye, Charles Amoah, Hans Adu Sarpei and Eben Hagan.

The locals are SWAG best footballer Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, Jacob Nettey, Sammy Adjei, Constant Mantey, Nana Arhin-Duah, Ishmael Addo, Stephen Tetteh, Kofi Amoako and Amankwah Mireku.

The Welfare Officer of the team, Mr Kudjoe Fianoo told Graphic yesterday that although a number of the foreign-based players had returned to their various European bases after Christmas, those still on holidays have given positive response to the impending national assignment, and was therefore hopeful that most of them would report to camp by this evening.