The Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has settled on names for four national teams with immediate effect.

It would be recalled that Ghanaians were given the opportunity to suggest names for the remaining national teams. The list include: the CHAN team, Boys and Girls U-15 national teams and the Beach Soccer national team.

The CHAN team which used to be Local Black Stars or Black Stars B is now called Black Galaxies, henceforth.

The national U-15 Girls team is now called Black Damsels while the Boys U-15 is named Black Comets. The eFootball National team will be renamed, according to the GFA. The Council also took a decision to maintain the name of the national Beach Soccer team – Black Sharks.

The four newly named teams are expected to compete for major honours in the future as the nation seeks to dominate the African continent in sporting activities.

Players working hard to show readiness for CHAN qualifiers

Meanwhile, the Black Stars B, now the Black Galaxies, are in camp at the Ghanaman soccer centre of excellence preparing for the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers. Ghana will face Benin in the Western Zone B qualifiers next month and Head Coach, Annor Walker, spoke about preparations ahead of the qualifiers.

“For some time now, we have not been able to qualify to CHAN and this is another trial for me and my technical team with the players that we have selected. It is our wish to qualify to CHAN this year after missing out in the last edition and if possible, win it. It is a target I have set for myself.

“I have watched the training clips of Benin and I am working towards that. All the same, I am not set because my team is not yet up to standard, because I have not had some players in camp yet. I am waiting to get a full house and quickly start full preparations. We have about 3 weeks to prepare for the first leg encounter at home and I am getting my plans for the game”.
Head Coach, Annor Walker

Coach Annor Walker noted that the fitness level of the players is good and they are working hard to show how ready they are. He added that though some of the players are yet to report to camp, he as a coach, has trust in those available and will work on them to get them ready “so that in case I don’t get the players I am expecting, I can use the current squad for the match”.

The Black Galaxies will host Benin in the first leg encounter on the weekend of July 22-24 with the return fixture slated for the weekend of July 29-31, 2022.

Ibrahim Tanko re-appointed Black Meteors coach

Meanwhile, former Black Stars player, Ibrahim Tanko, has been re-appointed head coach of the Black Meteors by the Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association.

The decision was taken by the council on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, with Tanko, expected to start work immediately.

The former Borussia Dortmund star managed the team in the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in 2019 where Ghana finished fourth after losing two straight penalty shootouts.

He currently holds the role of the Accra Lions Technical Director and it is uncertain whether he will still continue in that role. He has rich experience coaching from Germany, Japan and Cameroon.