Black Satellites head coach Abdul Karim Zito has named his 23-man squad for the 2022 Toulon Tournament in France.
The national U-20 team – Black Satellites – will be representing the country in what will be a third-ever appearance (15 years after the last outing) in the popular youth competition.
Zito has dropped five (5) players – Benjamin Yeboah (Hearts of Oak), George Kwasena (Dreams FC), Gilbert Narh (Golden Strikers), Favour Akweh (Sempafi United), Emmanuel Agyei (Dreams FC) – from the list of 20 that participated at the Wafu Zone-B qualifying tournament held in Niger earlier this month.
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There are as many as eight (8) new faces including one foreign-based player in Cardiff City right-back Jai Semenyo.
Jai, 18, is the younger brother of Bristol City striker Antoine Semenyo who also just earned his first call-up to the Ghana senior national team, the Black Stars.
The other new faces to the Satellites squad include Hearts of Oak duo Baafi Amankwah and Isaac Mensah, Kwabena Boahen Gogoe (Dreams FC), Abass Salifu Samari (Accra Lions), Aaron Essel (Bechem United), Isaac Pappoe (Golden Kick), Abdul Fatawu Abass (Young Apostles).
After failing to qualify for next year’s U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and by extension, the Fifa World Cup, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) indicated there were measures to ensure that players of the Black Satellites will continue their development.
And the 8-nation competition – now known as the Maurice Revello Tournament – is believed to provide such a platform for the group who are to be prepared to form the core of Team Ghana for the football competition at the African Games to be hosted in Accra in August 2023.
The Black Satellites will be competing from Group B with Indonesia, Mexico and Venezuela at the 2022 Toulon Tournament.
It is set to kick off on May 29 and will run through to June 12.
Full squad
Goalkeepers (2):
Gregory Obeng Sekyere (Berekum Chelsea), Vincent Anane (Legon Cities)
Defenders (7):
Eugene Ampofoh Amankwah (Benab FC), Augustine Agyapong (Asante Kotoko), Bismark Anim (Mighty Jets), Moses Salifu Bawa Zuure (Tanga FC/Bafou Academy), Jonas Agyei Adjetey (Berekum Chelsea), Kwabena Boahen Gogoe (Dreams FC), Jai Semenyo (Cardiff City – ENG)
Midfielders (8):
Collins Boah (Dreams FC), Abdul Razak Abdullah (Hearts of Lions), Mohaison Mahmoud (Black United), Baafi Amankwah (Hearts of Oak), Abass Salifu Samari (Accra Lions), Isaac Mensah (Hearts of Oak), Aaron Essel (Bechem United), Isaac Pappoe (Golden Kick)
Forwards (6):
Mustapha Yakubu (Hearts of Lions), Zubairu Ibrahim (King Faisal), Emmanuel Annor (Bechem United), Yahaya Mohammed (Tamale City), Alex Opoku Sarfo (Benab FC), Abdul Fatawu Abass (Young Apostles)
Black Satellites’ Schedule:
Mexico U-20 vs Ghana U-20 – May 30 – 15:30 GMT
Ghana U-20 vs Indonesia U-23 – June 2 – 11:30 GMT
Venezuela U-23 vs Ghana U-20 – June 5 – 12:00 GMT