Ghana still keen on Balotelli

Ghana has not dropped its plans of courting Inter Milan youngster Mario Barwuah Balotelli to play for the Black Stars.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) threw an invitation to the striker ahead of last year's Africa Cup of Nations but he turned it down.

Balotelli has since acquired an Italian passport that has given him the opportunity to play for the U-20 side of the European country.

Since then, the youngster has suffered several incidents of racial abuse at the hands of many Italians who taunted him by saying 'Black Italians don't exist.'

GFA boss Kwasi Nyantakyi looks keen to exploit the lineage of the player for him to play fot the country of his parents.

“We won't give up on Balotelli now because if we have somebody like him our team it will be a huge addition,” Nyantakyi said.

“He is such a fine player and on a regular basis we will seek to convince him that Ghana offers him better prospects at international level than Italy does.”

This comes just a day after two Europe-born players, Kevin Boateng and Jeffery Sarpong, declared their intention to switch their international allegiance to play for Ghana.

This has been made possible by a new Fifa rule which removed the age cap on when a player can switch nationality and Nyantakyi says it will benefit Ghana.

“It is those of us in Africa who have players in Europe so the rule change has special meaning for the continent,” Nyantakyi said.“

From a Ghanaian viewpoint, it opens a wonderful opportunity to expand who we can call into the national team.”

Balotelli was born to Ghanaian immigrants in Italy but adopted by an Italian family when he was three and has insisted his heart lies with the Azzuri.