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06.01.2009 Football News

Satellites Step Up Preparations

By Daily Guide
Satellites Step Up Preparations
06.01.2009 LISTEN

Sadick Adams GHANA'S BLACK Satellites have stepped up their preparations towards the 16th African Youth Championship to be held in Kigali, Rwanda from January 18th to February 1, 2009.

The Satellites have thus resumed camping after the Christmas and New Year holidays.

According to head coach Selas Tetteh, his team comprised 25 players who will leave Accra for Kenya for a training tour tomorrow to continue with preparations ahead of the championship.

He stated that despite the Confederation of African Football (CAF) requesting for a final list of 23 players before the January 8, 2009 deadline, he would travel to Kenya with 25 players in case of any last-minute injury ahead of the tournament.

After a week's training in Kenya, the squad will continue to Rwanda by January 15, 2009 before Ghana opens its first game against Cameroon on January 18, 2009 at 17h 30 local time.

Coach Selas Tetteh who ruled out the possibility of featuring Daniel Opare of Real Madrid due to injury, said some of the foreign-based players expected to join the team in camp are Rabiu Mohamed, Abeiku Quansah, Sadick Adams, Adu Kofi Enoch, Andre Ayew, Ransford Osei and Jonathan Mensah.

The African Youth Championship is a major international tournament for players less than 20 years old and held every two years with four semi-finalists from the competition in Rwanda to qualify for the FIFA World Youth Championship to be played in Egypt later this year.

Ghana has been placed in Group A alongside hosts Rwanda, Mali and Cameroon while Egypt, Nigeria, Cote D'Ivoire and South Africa are in Group B.

The Satellites defeated their Gambian counterparts by a 3-1 aggregate to qualify for the final tournament after a seven year- absence.

By Pierre Toto

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