Maxwell Konadu — Caretaker coach of the Black Stars

Rosalind K. Amoh Sports News Oct - 31 - 2014 , 09:12

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has been forced to turn down a request for a friendly match with Nigeria due to Ghana’s inability to raise a local Black Stars side to face the Super Eagles next week, following the delay of the First Capital Plus Premier League.

Uncertain of the form of inactive local players who have not, seen competitive action for five months, the FA was compelled to turn down the mouth-watering international friendly on November 7 to commemorate the opening of the newly-built Akwa Ibom International Stadium at Uyo.

This is another blow to Ghana football as Premier League clubs have been left in limbo over how to raise funds to cater for players salaries and preparations without knowing when the league will start.

As a fallback, the GFA opted to send the Under-23 team, Black Meteors, who are currently in camp to represent the nation but the Nigerians, who also hope to use the friendly to prepare for the remaining 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, were not enthused about it.

The Super Eagles have problems of their own, struggling in their 2015 AFCON qualifying campaign, leading to the dismissal of Coach Stephen Keshi for Shaibu Amodu after the last qualifier.

While the Nigerians are disappointed about Ghana's inability they are looking for a replacement. The vibe in Ghana is also one of despondency as there is no end in sight over the court litigation between King Faisal and the GFA, which has stalled football activities on the local scene.

A source close to the GFA expressed disappointment at the missed opportunity, but said there was no point in presenting a team whose tenacity could not be really vouched for.

"Let's face it. There is nothing much going on and after the long break the Local Stars coach will not be able to assess the real form of the players invited, so the FA felt it was a better deal to hand the invitation to the Meteors. Unfortunately, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) declined and so there is no international friendly as had been requested," the source confirmed to the Graphic Sports.