Ghana’s senior national team, the Black Stars, are expected to commence a four-day train­ing session at the Accra Sports Stadium today ahead of their FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Chad and Madagascar.

Lying second in Group I with Comoros as leaders, the Black Stars will host Chad in Accra on Friday and travel afterwards to face Madagascar on March 24 in qualifiers for the showpiece to be hosted by Mexico, USA and Canada in 2026.

Today’s assembly is the next ac­tivity after Friday’s announcement of the squad for the two assign­ment by Head Coach, Otto Addo.

Otto Addo’s 23-man squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers would be captained by Jordan Ayew.

It has three home-based players in the persons of Accra Hearts of Oak’s Benjamin Asare, Kamaradi­ni Mamudu of Medeama SC and Razak Simpson of Nations FC.

It also marks the return of mid­fielder Thomas Partey, who have been absent for a while, missing the last three African Nations Cup (AFCON) qualifiers which Ghana failed to qualify.

Again, it offers fresh oppor­tunities for players like Kamal Deen Sulemana of Southampton FC, Jerry Afriyie of CD Lugo, Belgium-based Christopher Bonsu Baah, who plays for Genk to establish places in the team.

The full list of players include goalkeepers-Goalkeepers: Law­rence Ati-Zigi (FC ST. Gallen); Joseph Wollacott (Crawley Town); Benjamin Asare (Hearts of Oak).

Defenders: Gideon Mensah (AJ Auxerre); Ebenezer Annan (Red Star Belgrade); Mohammed Salisu (AS Monaco); Jerome Opoku (Istanbul Basaksehir); Alexander Djiku (Fernabahce); Jonas Adjetey (FC Basel); Razak Simpson 9Nations FC); Kingsley Schindler (Samsunspor) and Ka­maradini Mamudu (Medeama SC).

Midfielders: Thomas Teye Partey (Arsenal FC), Elisha Ow­usu (AJ Auxerre); Abu Francis (Cercle Brugge); Kudus Moham­med (West Ham United) and Er­nest Nuamah (Olympique Lyon).

Forwards: Antoine Semenyo (AFC Bournemouth); Kamal Deen Sulemana (Southampton); Jordan Ayew (Leicester City); Jerry Afriyie (CD Lugo); Inaki Williams (Atletic Bilbao) and Christopher Bonsu Baah (Genk).

According to a team’s schedule released by the FA regarding the team’s preparation for the dou­ble-header, today’s training session slated for 5pm at the Accra Sports Stadium will be opened to the public.

Tomorrow’s session will com­mence at 5:30pm and opened to the public but that of Wednesday would be held behind closed door.

On Thursday, there would be a pre-match press conference at 4:50pm to be followed by another training session at 5pm with the opening 15 minutes opened to the public.

Ghana are currently second in Group I with nine points from four matches with three wins and a loss. Comoros occupy the first spot with same number of points but with a goal difference.

Ghana’s qualifying campaign began with a 1-0 win over Mad­agascar, followed by a loss to Comoros. However, uninterrupted wins against Mali and the Central African Republic in June 2024 brought Ghana back at par with the leaders.

 BY ANDREW NORTEY

 The defending MTN FA Cup champions, Nsoatreman FC, have announced their withdrawal from all Ghana Football Association (GFA) competitions.

This implies that Nsoatreman FC will be unable to play their week 24 match against Basake Holy Stars this weekend.

A club statement on Friday, March 14, indicated that the withdrawal was due to the security and safety of its players upon the restart of the com­petition.

It said that the reasons for with­drawal from the league and other competitions stemmed from their match with Kotoko, which resulted in the death of their football fan.

“We write to respectfully withdraw from the ongoing Ghana Premier League and any other competitions organised by the GFA due to con­cerns over the security and safety of our players.

“We are forced to take this decision due to recent events involving our matches with Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Samartex FC, which we officially wrote to your high office,” it said.

The statement said “In light of this, we can no longer guarantee the safety of our players; therefore, manage­ment and the board of directors are left with no choice but to prioritise the safety and security of our players by withdrawing from the league

“We regret any inconveniences this decision may cause. Thank you for your cooperation,” the statement stated.

—GNA

The President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, has been successfully elected as a member of the Executive Committee (EXCO) of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The four-year term runs from 2025-2029.

The President, who was elected uncontested, joins the 24-member committee of the powerful body of the continent’s governing body.

Kurt Okraku’s election to the CAF Executive Committee comes as recognition of his remarkable leadership at the Football Association, where he has worked to rejuvenate Ghanaian football since taking office in 2019.

His efforts to enhance transparency, promote grassroots football, women’s football and focus on youth development have been well noted within the African football community.

With Ghana’s strong footballing tradition and legacy, the presence of the GFA boss on the CAF EXCO is seen as an opportunity to advance the interests of the country and help promote football development across Africa.

Mr. Okraku’s role will give Ghana a stronger voice in the decision-making processes that shape the future of football on the continent.

President Simeon-Okraku becomes the sixth Ghanaian to serve on the CAF Executive Committee in a list that includes Ohene Djan, Kobina Hagan, Nana Fredua Mensah, Samuel Okyere, and Kwesi Nyantakyi.