Meteors move to camp

Accra, Feb 16, GNA -- Twenty-six local players of the national Olympic soccer team, the Black Meteors on Monday resumed camping in Obuasi ahead of their crucial Olympic Games qualifier against Algeria slated for the Kumasi Sports Stadium on Sunday.

The 26-man squad has Kumasi King Faisal, the newly crowned champions of the just ended Coca Cola Top Four Tournament leading the pack with eight players and Kumasi Asante Kotoko following with six players. Both Accra Hearts of Oak and Obuasi Goldfields have four players each while Sekondi Hasaacas have two players with one player each coming from the camps of Koforidua-based Power FC and Dansoman-based Liberty Professionals respectively.

The players will begin train under the instructions of newly- signed on Black Stars coach, Marriano Barreto and they are expected to focus their training on brushing up exercises ahead of the crucial tie, which will be the coach's first assignment come this Sunday. So far all the invited foreign-based players invited for the match are yet to respond though sources at the GFA told the GNA Sports that there is the possibility of the likes of French-based Michael Essein, German-based Isaac Boakye, Israeli trio of John Painstil and John Mensah and Addoquaye Pappoe are expected to heed to the clarion call to defend the nation's flag.

The cream of local players are made up of Habib Mohammed, Prince Antwi, Eric Gawu, Idrisu Yahaya, Abubakar Yahuza, Abass Inusah, Illiasu Alhassan and Kwadwo Poku coming from the camp of Faisal.

Charles Taylor leads Yusif Chipsah, George Owu, Edmund Owusu Ansah, Stephen Oduro and Kwadwo Poku Jnr to come from the camp of Kotoko. Ace striker, Bernard Don Bortey, Daniel Coleman, Frank Kornu and Louis Agyeman, will represent the Phobian team. Shaibu Yakubu, Isaac Amoako, Anthony Baffoe and Nasal Lamine all come from the camp of the Miners.

The rest are Saliu Muntari, Ricky Essuman from Hasaacas, Mustapha Essuman of Liberty and Suleman Abubakar of Power.