Sport

Ghana name squad for Bafana friendly

Nthambeleni Gabara

5 August 2010

Ghana head coach Milovan Rajevac has included 12 players who featured in the Black Stars' 2010 Fifa World Cup squad for the friendly match against Bafana Bafana at Soccer City, Johannesburg on 11 August.

The Serbian has also brought back Harrison Afful, Bernanrd Kumordzi, Haminu Draman, Emmanuel Agyeman-Bandu and Yaw Antwi. Another addition to the 18-man squad is Egyptian-based player Cofie Bekoe.

The friendly will be the first game for both national teams since the Fifa World Cup. Ghana lost out to Uruguay in a controversial quarter-final they should have won, while South Africa was eliminated in the group stages of the tournament. Bafana Bafana finished with the same number of points as Mexico in Group A, but exited on goal difference.

The Ghanaians, who had one of the youngest teams at the 2010 World Cup, on the back of their success in lifting the 2009 Fifa under-20 World Cup, are ranked 23rd by Fifa and second in Africa following their strong run in South Africa.

Bafana Bafana have improved 17 places, from 83rd to 66th.

The goalkeepers in the Black Stars' squad are Richard Kingson (currently out of contract) are Daniel Agyei (Liberty Professionals, Ghana).

Their defenders include Samuel Inkoom (Basel, Switzerland) Harrison Afful (Esperance, Tunisia), John Mensah, (Lyon, France), Lee Addy (Bechem Chelsea, Ghana) Jonathan Mensah (Granada, Spain on loan from Udinese).

The midfielders are Anthony Annan (Rosenborg, Norway), Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese, Italy), Kwadwo Asamoah, (Udinese, Italy) Andre Ayew (Marseille, France), Kevin-Prince Boateng (Portsmouth, England), Cofie Bekoe (Petrojet, Egypt), Bernard Kumordzi (Panionios FC, Greece).

The strikers include Asamoah Gyan (Rennes, France), Dominic Adiyiah (AC Milan, Italy) Haminu Draman (Locomotiv Moscow, Russia), and Yaw Antwi (FK Vojvodina, Serbia).

Four big name players were not called up: Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien, Fulham defender John Pantsil, Bologna and midfielder Stephen Appiah and Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari.

South African head coach Pitso Mosimane is expected announce his squad to face Ghana on Thursday.

Source: BuaNews