Sellas Tetteh, coach of Ghana’s national Under-20 team, the Black Satellites, has named a 30-man squad to prepare for the up-coming Africa Youth Championship qualifiers.
Ghana plays Angola in the first round qualifying fixture of the Africa Youth Championship on 29 June.
From an initial 35-man team, the selected 30 would now be competing for starting places in the team as they return to the national camp in Prampram on Monday, May 5.
Ghana has failed to impress lately having struggled to make it to the African U-20 Championship since 2003. But Sellas Tetteh, is hopeful of plotting a return to the top for the junior national team.
That task starts when the Ghana begins the qualifiers for the 16th Africa Youth Championship later in June at home first after drawing a bye in the preliminary round.
“It’s about brightening the corner wherever I am. I have been entrusted with this responsibility and I think I can deliver. We (coaches) have been in the job for long and we appreciate every challenge,” Sellas says.
With a mixture of some graduates from the national under-17 team, the Black Starlets who reached the semi-finals of the 2007 World U-17 Championships in South Korea – players whom Sellas worked with - and national team debutants, Sellas Tetteh says he is happy with the level of co-operation between all his players.
“Those who graduated from the U-17 are coping with those who are joining the team and they have all accepted the challenge to make the final list and are working very hard towards that.”
The 16th Africa Youth Championship in Rwanda would begin on January 18 till February 1 2009.
Ghana squad:
Robert Dabuo (Wa All Stars) Joseph Addo (Hassacas)
Isaac Donkor (Hasaacas) Baba Sampana (Real Sportive) Paul Addo (FairPoint) Phillip Boampong and David Nii Addy (Wa All Stars) Alex Sowatei (Fetteh Feyenoord)
Samuel Inkoom (Kotoko) Eric Opoku (King Faisal) Khalif Alhassan and Aziz Tettey (Liberty Professionals) Jonathan Mensah and Wakasu Mubarak (AshantiGold) Hans Kwoffie and Godfred Rockson (Heart of Lions) Ishmael Antwi (All Blacks) Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Berekum Arsenal) Seth Appiah (St Mirren) Yaw Luckson (Tema Pro. Sports)
Ekow Benson (Tema Youth) Ransford Osei (Kessben FC) Renelle Agyei (Liberty) Larbie Koomson (Zaytuna FC) Ben Acheampong (All Blacks) Prince Adjei (Professionals) Francis Boadi and Nat Ansah (Great Olympics), Gaani Yahaya (Real Tamale United) Nasiru Gafaru (Wa All Stars)