Busy schedule for Stars ahead of World Cup
9/8/2009 7:20:49 PM -
Accra , Sept. 7, GNA - The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has lined up series of trial matches ahead of the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations.
The Africa Cup of Nations will take place in Angola from January 10 to January 31, 2010 with the World Cup coming off from June 11 to July 11, 2010.
The calendar includes matches with some high profile teams including the Oranges of the Netherlands next June.
Kwesi Nyantakyi, President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) who announced the schedule at a press briefing in Accra on Monday said the calendar is intended to fine-tune the Stars' preparation ahead of the two competitions.
With two matches to end the qualifying series, the GFA boss added that his outfit is taking advantage of FIFA's free dates to build a formidable team for next year.
Nyantakyi explained that four days after engaging the Squirrels of Benin on October 10, the Stars will pitch their strength against a yet to be named opponent on October 14.
"The Stars will next play Mali on November 14 and engage Angola four days later in Luanda in a friendly."
The Angola clash will precede the official draw of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations slated for November 20 in Luanda , Angola .
"In March next year, the Stars will be in action against a yet to be determined opponent before facing the Netherlands on June 1."
For the remaining two games of the qualifiers, Nyantakyi expressed optimism about the team's desire to finish with their hundred percent record.
Nyantakyi emphasized that victories in the remaining two games will boost their standings on the FIFA rankings; a criteria for the final draw of the 2010 FIFA World Cup draw.
He also commended the various stakeholders for their untiring efforts in propelling the team to their second successive World Cup appearance.
The Black Stars became the first African team to qualify for the World Cup after beating the Desert Hawks of Sudan 2-0 last Sunday.
The Stars thus moved to 12 points, seven more than their closest rivals, the Eagles of Mali with two games remaining in the qualifiers.
GNA
