Black Meteors’ assistant coach, Godwin Attram, has defended the selection of the provisional 29 players ahead of the highly anticipated U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.
Having initially named 22 local-based players for camping, Ibrahim Tanko dropped seven players and added 14 more who ply their trade abroad including some Black Stars youngsters who are expected to join the team in Egypt after their clash in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar.
Attram has strongly defended the selection, dismissing any doubts regarding its legitimacy and asserting that every player on the team is deserving of their place.
“Selecting players and making decisions in football is a challenging task, and it often involves a lot of pressure.
“However, I want to emphasize to everyone in the country that the team chosen by Head Coach Ibrahim Tanko and his technical staff has been selected purely based on merit. I believe that the selection process was fair and unbiased,” he told Peace FM
“During the four months of our training camp, we have witnessed numerous players joining us. As we observed their performances, we recognized the potential impact certain players could have on the country’s success.
“It is important to note that our decisions were not driven solely by personal preferences; rather, we prioritized the benefit to the country. The selection process conducted by our technical team, led by our head coach, was guided by these principles,”
The Black Meteors will face their Egyptian counterparts in a preparatory match on Thursday, June 15, followed by another friendly against an unnamed team before heading to Morocco.
The team will compete in Group A of the championship alongside Morocco, Congo and Guinea which begin on June 24 and end on July 7, 2023.
Ghana will attempt to return to the Olympic Games through the championship since spots are available for the top three performing teams.
