Head coach of the Black Stars, Otto Addo, has stated that the nation prioritises the 2025 Unity Cup, which will be hosted in London, England.
According to him, the four-nation tournament will serve as an opportunity for him to explore young and new players in the team, allowing them to showcase their potential.
He stressed that the new players will help create competition within the team, pushing the more experienced players to perform better, ultimately benefiting the nation in tournaments.
“These two matches are extremely important for the team, just like the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in September. I believe this is the perfect time to closely observe the players we’ve been monitoring over the last few months. the 48-year-old said. Team building is a process that takes time, and it’s not something that happens overnight. Therefore, this is a great opportunity to give some of our young players a chance to prove themselves.
“Our aim is to create competition within the team, which can only be achieved by providing an equal platform for all our talents to showcase their skills. We’re looking beyond individuals and focusing on building a strong team. That’s why I’ve decided to give many of these young players a chance to play and prove themselves, with the aim of making them a key part of my team going forward,” he told ghanafa.org.
Five players are set to make their senior debut for Ghana: Joseph Tetteh Anang (St. Patrick’s Athletic, Ireland), Abdul Aziz Issah (Barcelona B), Aaron Essel (North Texas SC), Caleb Yirenkyi (FC Nordsjælland, Denmark), and Mohammed Gadafi Fuseini (Union St. Gilloise, Belgium).
The Black Stars will compete in the Unity Cup with a high-profile semi-final clash against long-time West African rivals Nigeria scheduled for May 28, 2025, at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium, with a kick-off time of 19:00 GMT.
The winner of that match will progress to the final on May 31, where they will meet the victor of the other semi-final between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, with the final set to kick off at 12:30 GMT.
SB/MA
Watch scenes from the opening ceremony of the 2025 Western Region Inter-Schools event