An eighteen-man playing squad of the male Olympic team on Tuesday commenced preparations in neighbouring country, Togo for the June 2 Olympic qualifier against Nigeria.

The all locally-based Black Meteors squad departed Accra on Monday for the 17-day training camp devoid of any intrusion but seek to keep the concentration levels for the challenges ahead intact.

According to team coach, Cecil Jones Attuquayefio seven foreign-based players would join the rest of the squad in the next week at their camp base in Togo.

The foreign-based component are: Asamoah Gyan, Haminu Draman, Nafiu Iddrisu, Michael Helegbe, Yao Kumordzi, Anonthy Annan and Prince Tagoe.

Ghana, paired with West African rivals Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa begin the African qualifiers for the 2008 Olympic Games football tournament with an away fixture against Nigeria in Abuja.

The qualifiers will be played in a league format between June and March 2008.

Three group winners qualify for the final tournament at the Beijing Games.

Ghana’s Black Meteors are gunning for second successive berth at the Olympics after edging out Burkina Faso on a 5-0 aggregate scoreline over two legs last month to enter the last stage of qualifiers.

After the June 3 game against Nigeria, Ghana will have to wait until August when the Black Meteors take on Ethiopia on home grounds on August 22.