Final preparations for next year’s Africa Youth Championship begun on Monday in Accra as Sellas Tetteh, coach of Ghana’s Under-20 side, the Black Satellites resumed training with his called up squad.
Sellas Tetteh has named a 25-member playing squad for the next phase of preparation as he seeks to announce his team for the Championship before the January 8 deadline set by the Confederation of African Football, Caf for the submission of the final squad lists for the tournament which starts on January 15 in Rwanda.
The Black Satellites would be in camp in Accra before departing for Kenya on January 7 where they would continue with preparations base ahead of the Africa Youth Championship.
And Sellas Tetteh is welcoming the selection headache he expects to be presented when the foreign-based players – who are yet to be realised by the clubs - join in.
“We have an entirely local side for now. But I expect them to raise the bar before the foreign-based players join,” said the Black Satellites coach.
“Every player would have to justify his place in the squad and that is a good situation I hope to have. At the end of the day, only the best would be called up to represent the nation at the Championship.”
Starting with preparations in Accra this week are: Daniel Adjei and Joseph Addo, Phillip Boampong, Godfred Rockson Asiamah, Gladson Awako, Latif Salifu, Dominic Adiyah and Evans Quao.
The rest are: Isaac Donkor, Abdul Ganiyu, Daniel Addo, Kassenu Ghandi, Jafaru Abdul, Ekow Benson, Paul Addo and Agyemang Badu, Ishmael Yartey and David Addy.
Some foreign-based players who are expected to join the rest of the squad are: Rabiu Mohammed and Saddick Adams, Abeiku Quansah, Adu Kofi and Andre Dede Ayew, Ransford Osei and Jonathan Mensah.
Ghana’s team has ruled out the possibility of Daniel Opare recovering from injury to make the squad after the Real Madrid player picked up an injury early this month.
The draw for the Africa Youth Championship pits the Black Satellites against Mali, Cameroon and hosts nation, Rwanda in Group A.
Ghana would kick off the 16th edition of the two week long tournament against Cameroon at the Stade National in Kigali on January 18, the opening day.
The next group game for Ghana would be against Mali, two days after the opening match before rounding up with a clash against hosts, Rwanda on January 24.
The Caf African Youth Championship is a major international football competition for Caf nations, played by less than 20 years old players and it is held every two years with the four semi-finalists from the tournament in Rwanda qualifying for the Fifa World Youth Championship to be played in Egypt.
If hosts Egypt reach the last four in Rwanda then the 5th place team will qualify for the Under-20 World Cup.