Sports
Next NDC govt will revamp Black Stars with home-grown players – Mahama
The new Black Stars will be built on home-grown players, according to National Democratic Congress’ 2024 flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama.
He made this statement during the Northern Region leg of his “Building The Ghana We Want Tour” as he campaigns to be elected as President of Ghana, aiming to replace outgoing Ghanaian President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The Black Stars have fared very poorly in recent years, with the latest disappointment being a first-round exit from the 2023 AFCON in Cote D’Ivoire.
Ghana failed to win a game in three outings in the aforementioned competition, leading to a crash out of the AFCON at the group stage for the second edition in a row.
Addressing a gathering, the NDC presidential candidate said the Black Stars under his government would be built on home-grown talents who have excelled in the revamped Ghanaian football structure.
“We will build the new Black Stars based on homegrown players. Domestic players who have trained together for a long time and work as a team, and then we will bring in the foreign ones to blend with them.”
“The core of the Black Stars must be made up of domestic players who have played together for a long time… We are going to overhaul Ghana football in collaboration with the Ghana Football Association.”
Source: Citinewsroom.com
Twenty-three (23) players have been called up for this month’s international friendly against Mexico.
The squad is composed of star players from the domestic league and European leagues who are closely monitored by Coach Carlos Queiroz, as well as U-23 players who will soon represent Ghana in the upcoming Olympic Games qualifiers.
Notable names include Majeed Ashimeru, Felix Afena-Gyan, Razak Simpson, and Birmingham City’s Ibrahim Osman.
Ashimeru returns to action after a long spell on the sidelines due to a muscle injury that limited his appearances at both club and national level.
Also in the team is Felix Afena-Gyan, whose last appearance for Ghana was in May last year when he featured against Trinidad and Tobago in the Unity Cup in London.
Barcelona B’s Abdul Aziz Issah, Ebenezer Annan of AS Saint-Étienne, Ibrahim Osman of Birmingham City, and Paul Reverson of Ajax FC have also been included in the squad.
Midfielder Salim Adams, one of the key players for Ghana Premier League leaders Medeama SC, leads the group of home-based players.
Others are Heart of Lions’ Ebenezer Abban, Ebenezer Adade of Dreams FC, and Nations FC captain Razak Simpson. Ghana will travel to Mexico for the international friendly on Friday, May 22, 2026.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the dates for the qualifiers of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations 2027.
The qualifiers will run from September 2026 to March 2027, with the final tournament set for June 19 to July 17, 2027. Ghana will know their group opponents after the draw on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
Forty-eight (48) teams will be split into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the competition.
The 2027 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations will be staged in three East African countries: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Find the dates for the qualifiers below:
