Ghana Football Association Executive Council member, Dr. Randy Abbey is optimistic the Black Meteors will qualify to participate in the Olympic games scheduled for Paris next year.
In the meantime, Ghana will have to secure one of the three availabe slots for qualification at the U23 AFCON in Morocco later this month. The Black Meteors are paired in a very difficult group for the tournament, alongside hosts Morocco, Congo and Guinea.
The Black Meteors had previously failed to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo after losing on penalties to South Africa in the third and fourth playoffs.
It’s been 20 years since the Black Meteors competed in the biggest sporting festival and Ghana will be looking forward to breaking the jinx to qualify for the Olympic football tournament this time around.
Dr Abbey recounted his experience chairing the Black Meteors Management Committee and is hopeful of qualification for the team.
”They were very unlucky in 2019 where we missed out via penalty shootouts and that was quite unfortunate. I am just hoping they will be able to do it. I remember how Nigeria drew with us here to deny us the opportunity to go to the Olympics with Sir. Cecil Jones Attuquayefio, so I know how this is important. We have yet another opportunity to make it.”
Dr Randy Abbey admitted to a difficult pairing for the Black Meteors. He is however still confident that they will secure a spot in the games in Paris as he praised the team’s strength.
”I’ve seen the draw, very very tough group but I think the players who have been called up are quite good and I know that we are also going to mend them with some of the foreign-based players. Despite the fact that it is a tough group, I am confident Ghana will qualify for the Olympics in Paris.”
The third-place team of this year’s tournament as well as the finalist will earn spots in the Paris Olympics, while the fourth-placed team will compete in the AFC-CAF (Asian Football Confederation and Confederation of African Football) playoff to earn the final spot for the Olympics.
The team as part of their preparations ahead of the tournament in Morocco earlier this morning defeated Uncle T United at the Ghanaman Soccer Center of Excellence.
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Story by | Rashad Usman Sinah | univers.ug.edu.gh
