Black Satellites Head Coach Desmond Ofei has expressed confidence in his side as they head to the final stages of preparations for the 13th African Games Male competition.
The National U20 team are currently in Cape Coast as they step up preparations for the competition which will be staged from March 8-23, 2024.
Ghana are in Group A and will face Congo, Benin and the Gambia in the group stage of the competition. Coach Ofei believes after weeks of intensive training at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram and sessions in Cape Coast, the Satellites are poised to achieve their targets in the competition.
“The journey has been positive, there have been a lot of positives because I think the team is progressing really nicely. We are in the final hurdle towards the tournament.”
“You know the past three weeks, we have been in the in Prampram and then we have been working really hard now here in Cape Coast”.
“We are in the final stages for preparation and everything is going smoothly. Working in football has a lot of challenges but we must stay focused why because we know what is at stake”, Coach Ofei said after Tuesday’s training session.
The National U20 side will face Congo in their opening match on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at the Accra Sports Stadium before taking on Gambia and Benin on March 12 and 16 respectively.
“This All African games means a lot to us and we want to prove something to the nation. The boys are really hungry and ready to showcase their talents”.
The Head Coach of the side also affirmed that though selecting the final squad was difficult,
“It wasn’t an easy one because we were hoping to get a squad of 25 players, 22 outfit players and 3 goal keepers. For this competition, CAF chose to go for 20 players so it wasn’t easy because we had a lot of talented players and unfortunately we had to make tough decisions in the selections.
“I think we made the right calls with the players to get the right balance in the team right. It’s not easy assembling a squad of 20 players, but I think we will be 100 ready”.
He called on Ghanaians to throng the stadium to offer their unflinching support and to fill the Accra Stadium during Ghana’s games.
“We need the support of Ghanaians and its going to be an amazing event. We are hosting the tournament so fans should come and support us. I am sure we can do some magic in this African games”, he added.