Soccer News of Thursday, 31 March 2011

Source: ghanasoccernet.com

Ayew to convince Marseille to join Ghana in desperate U23 qualifier

Andre Ayew is itching to help Ghana qualify for the 2012 London Olympics Ghana midfielder Andre Ayew says he will convince his club Marseille to release him to help avoid a disgraceful elimination from the Olympic Games qualifiers.

GHANAsoccernet understands that Ayew has told Ghana FA bosses he will fight to be released to salvage the Black Meteors’ qualifiers.

Having won the U20 World Cup, the Black Meteors were tipped to win the tournament to be held in London next year.

But Ghana’s U23 team got off to an embarrassing start in the qualifiers as they were beaten 1-0 by Sudan in Accra at the weekend without key players who are part of the Black Stars.

With most of the U23 players playing with European clubs they will not be released for the return leg in Sudan next week.

Samuel Inkoom, David Addy, Jonathan Mensah, Daniel Opare, Agyemang Badu, Ransford Osei, Andre Ayew and Dominic Adiyiah were all not present when they present in the first leg of the Sudan Olympic Games qualifiers.

As the return leg is not on a Fifa date for international matches their clubs are not obliged to release them.

Ayew is one of many foreign-based professional who have penciled down by the Ghana Under-23 technical team to overturn a 0-1 deficit for the return leg on April 9 in Sudan.

But his availability remote as he remains key to Marseille’s title defence and on the weekend of the qualifier, the French champions host Toulouse at the Stade Velodrome on 10 April but the youngster tells Kickoffghana that he is desperate to play for Ghana’s U23.

“If my club will allow me then I’ll definitely play a part,” Ayew said.

“I really want to play in the Olympics, it’s been my dream all along and after leading the side to the World Under-20 Championship I would love the chance to lead Ghana to gold at the Olympics.”

Ayew captained Ghana to win the 2009 Fifa Under-20 World Cup finals in Egypt