West African giants announce surprise squad to face Orlando Pirates-dominated Bafana Bafana squad ahead of AFCON finals in Gauteng

Ghana have named a squad that will take on South Africa on December 16 in Gauteng before Bafana embark on their journey to Morocco a day later.

It is a squad made up of locally based players, and according to the country's football association (GFA), the match against Bafana is meant to be part of their preparation for African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualification. 

Matches between Ghana and South Africa, just like Nigeria, are emotional encounters given the level of their rivalry and profiles in Africa.

Just recently, Black Stars broke the hearts of the Mzansi football fraternity after ending Bafana's 2022 World Cup qualification dreams a year earlier.

In the upcoming AFCON edition, Black Stars will not compete, but Ghana and South Africa are Africa's representatives in the next World Cup finals.

“The Black Galaxies, led by Coach Kassim Mingle, will use the match to prepare for their CHAN qualifiers as South Africa also wrap up their preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations,” GFA announced.

“The team has been training at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram, playing friendly matches to build momentum.” 

Bafana head coach Broos recently made a complaint in regard to their AFCON preparations. 

The Belgian pointed fingers at the Premier Soccer League, whose calendar extended into December, given that the Carling Cup final had been scheduled to be played on December 6.

His squad is dominated by Orlando Pirates, and the club needed their players for the final, meaning their release to the Bafana camp was going to be delayed.

“I was hoping to start the camp a little earlier, but for the second time, the PSL didn’t want to cooperate because there is the final of the Carling Knockout Cup,” Broos said.

“Maybe they don’t want to hear it, but I am happy that Chiefs and Sundowns are out of the tournament already. We start our preparations on December 8 at the University of Pretoria, and we stay there until the 17th because we have to be in Morocco five days before our first game.  

"I don't like to play two or three games before we go – we played enough against African teams, so we don't have to play against another African team as if we don't know African football," he added.

"We've played, over the last four years, nearly only against African teams, so we don't have to play another two or three games before we go to AFCON; we don't need that.

"It will be a little bit different next year when we prepare for the World Cup – that is something else, and the preparations will be different as well.

"But now we just try to have good preparation and [make sure] that the team is really at 100 per cent when they start, and that we don't start like we started the last AFCON with a defeat."

The 1996 African champions will begin their Group B campaign with a game against Angola on December 22 at the Marrakech Stadium. Their biggest test will come against record champions, Egypt, whom they are scheduled to face on December 26 at the Adrar Stadium. 

Finally, Mzansi will conclude their preliminary engagement with a match against their COSAFA rivals, Zimbabwe, on December 29.

Broos and his side hope to finish among the top two teams in their group in order to advance to the knockout phase.