Black Stars Shun Friendly for Xmas

Ghana coach Fred Osam-Duodu is not a happy man Ghana will be without most of their foreign-based players for the pre-African Nations Cup friendly against Mali on Christmas Day.

An overwhelming majority of football fans in Mali are keen admirers of the Ghanaian game but the absence of players like Bayern Munich's Samuel Osei Kuffour may affect attendance at the match.

Ghana's coach Fred Osam-Duodu had lined up his biggest number of foreign-based players since he took over last April but some have pulled out through injury and club commitments.

However, two Greek-based players will travel to Mali - the Panathinaikos striker Derrick Boateng and Kofi Amponsah of Paok Salonika.

Alex Techie-Mensah of Swiss side Neuchatel Xamax is the other foreign-based player whose appearance in a Black Stars shirt has been confirmed.

Osam-Duodu said: "I'm not happy about the absence of the foreign-based players because this is the time we should have our best players together to prepare for the tournament.

"Mali is very hot and I think most of those who really have a chance of making the final 22-man squad should have been here by now."

Austrian-based Charles Amoah has been ruled out with a toe infection and Peter Ofori-Quaye of Greek club Olympiakos is also reported injured.

Osam-Duodu is likely to field the same line up that drew 1-1 with Algeria in Algiers on 5 December.

That side was made up of mainly home-based players from Hearts of Oak, Asante Kotoko and Obuasi Goldfields.