Black Stars leave without top stars

Ghana's senior national team, the Black Stars left Accra for Zimbabwe for an African Nations Cup without the services of most of its top foreign-based players.

The withdrawal of the players most of whom are in the country for holidays is a big blow to the team's African Nations Cup campaign.

Black Stars coach Fred Osam-Duodu has been forced to name an almost entirely home-based side for the crucial encounter, with only two young foreign-based players making the trip.

Some Ghanaians expressed anger and disappointment when they saw the players including Abedi Pele, who is now, one of government's nominees on the FA on national TV making donations to the Stadium disaster fund at the Castle, Osu.

Osam-Duodu, who led Ghana to a Nations Cup triumph in 1978, said he is disappointed by the reaction of the foreign-based players to his invitation. "I invited eight foreign-based players for the match, but I was let down at the last minute," said Osam-Duodu.

Black Stars skipper Charles Akonnor opted out of the side to recuperate from a slight knee injury and his deputy, Samuel Osei Kuffour, had asked to be excused from the game to rest after a successful season with newly-crowned European champions, Bayern Munich.

Osam-Duodu is particularly upset that most of the foreign-based players are in Accra at the moment and he could have easily assembled a very strong side, but none are prepared to show up for international duty. Some of them said that they wanted to rest after the various European leagues drew to a close.

Names originally selected included Stephen Appiah of Parma, Turkey-based Kwame Ayew and a long-awaited return for PSV Eindhoven defender Eric Addo who had been out for some time.

Injury did force Austria-based striker Charles Amoah out, while there were speculations that Osam-Duodu was contemplating giving Nii Odartey Lamptey his first cap for the Black Stars in years, but the 24-year-old has moved to a club in China and will not be available.

Three key home-based players also pulled out: goalkeeper, Sammy Adjei has a wrist injury and Asante Kotoko skipper Godwin Ablordey is also injured. Awudu Adama of Dawu Youngsters was dropped.

The only two foreign-based players in the side are the unknown Edu Gyamfi Granini from the youth regiments of Spanish side Atletico Madrid and Baffour Gyan, who has returned to European football again in the Czech Republic with Slovan Liberec after a stint with Liberty Professionals here in Ghana.

With Ghana already out of the 2002 World Cup, failure of the country to make an appearance at the next Nations Cup in Mali would be met with a lot of protest from a population which is almost "soccer crazy".

Goalkeepers: Osei Boateng (Asante Kotoko), James Nanor (Hearts of Oak)

Defenders: Kenneth Ababio (Goldfields), Yaw Amankwah Mireku (Hearts of Oak), Kofi Amoaku (Goldfields), George Essilfie (Accra Great Olympics), Hamza Mohamed (Real Tamale United), Jacob Nettey (Hearts of Oak), Princeton Owusu-Ansah (Goldfields), Godfrey Yeboah (Asante Kotoko)

Midfielders: Lawrence Adjei (Asante Kotoko), Joe Ansah (Hearts of Oak), Charles Taylor, Adjah Tetteh (Hearts of Oak), Edu Gyamfi Granini (Atletico Madrid) Strikers: Isaac Boakye (Goldfields), Nana Arhin Duah (Goldfields), Nana Frimpong (Asante Kotoko), Issah Mohammed (Hasaacas), Baffour Gyan (Slovan Liberec, Czech Rep)

- Zimbabwe has moved their African Cup of Nations qualifier against Ghana from Bulawayo to Harare.