Ghana coach Akwasi Appiah

By Ameenu Shardow

Ghana coach Akwasi Appiah will defend a provisional 25-man Nations Cup squad before the media ahead of a scheduled pre-tournament camp in Abu Dhabi.

The Black Stars aim to win its first African title in 31-years by the time the tournament kicks off in South Africa on January 19.

Coach Appiah will however be made to defend his intended squad before the media ahead of the team’s trip to the UAE on January 7 to fine tune preparations for the competition.

The Ghana coach will however not be able to do same with the final team that will be presented to CAF on January 9 since the team will still be in Abu Dhabi by the time the deadline expires.

“There will be a media encounter where the coach will be announcing his squad to you (media),” Ghana FA boss Kwasi Nyantakyi told a press briefing on Thursday.

“The coach will be taking 25  players to Abu Dhabi.

“And then on the 9^th of January the final team will be presented to CAF.

“The coach will however not be announcing his final team to you before the deadline since the team will still be in Abu Dhabi.”

The exercise of defending a squad before major tournaments is fast becoming a norm in Ghana.

Former Black Stars coach Goran Stevanovic was made to do same before the last Nations Cup in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Ghana is drawn in Group B which will be based in Port Elizabeth alongside Mali, Niger and DR Congo.

The Black Stars will open their Nations Cup campaign on January 20 against DR Congo at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.