Administrative Manager for Ghana’s Amputee Team, the Black Challenge, Mohammed Harmis Huzair says Ghana’s chances of winning the amputee football tournament on home soil are feasible.
The Black Challenge are favourites heading into the 2023 Para Africa Games set to be hosted in here Ghana following the team’s success in the 2021 AFCON in Tanzania.
Harmis Huzair who spoke in an interview with Citi Sports, expressed belief in the team to emulate the performance at this year’s tournament starting with the pre-tournament friendly against Togo on Friday in Lomé.
Mr. Emmanuel Akpabli Welfare manager of Ghana Amputee National team The 'Black Challenge' arrived in Togo to meet the organizers and also inspect match venue ahead of tomorrow’s friendly match between 🇹🇬 and Ghana 🇬🇭.@AusAmbGHA @UKinGhana @CanHCGhana @parsonsandrew @moysgovgh pic.twitter.com/8bxz95vHhd
— NATIONAL PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE-GH (@ParalympicGh) August 17, 2023
For the past days, what we have done is we have engaged in two justifiers; one in the Ashanti Region and the other one in Accra, just to come out with the best set of players.
It has helped the coach come out with his final team, and that team will be playing the friendly team against Togo on Friday.
From the friendly in Togo, they will come back to camping in Accra and gear up toward the Para Games in the first week of September.
At the moment, we are the African Champions, and so we are expected to repeat the performance at the upcoming Para African Games.
What we want to do, is to host and win the tournament in Accra here. I am very optimistic about the team, because of the calibre of players we currently have at our disposal.
We have maximum of our players plying their trade in Europe and I think that will yield good results for the team in the upcoming assignments.
The National Amputee Football team, the Black Challenge, won the African Cup of Nations for the second time after a hard-fought 3-2 win over three-time African Champions Liberia in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania back in 2021.
A determined Black Challenge side, with just a man on the bench during matches, won their group with a 3-0 win over Egypt and a 4-0 demolition of Nigeria.
Ghana Amputee Football technical Team The ' Black Challenge ' 🗣️ ahead of their friendly game and the upcoming 1st African Para Games.@AusAmbGHA @GermanAmbGhana @CanHCGhana @UKinGhana @EmbEspGhana @USEmbassyGhana @FranceandGhana @Afpcparalympic @Paris2024 @Paralympics pic.twitter.com/9QTAoLyDwB
— NATIONAL PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE-GH (@ParalympicGh) August 17, 2023
The mainly professional team with one goalkeeper from Ghana progressed to the semifinals by beating Kenya 4-0.
In the semifinals, the Black Challenge humbled defending African and World Champions Angola 3-1 to land in the finals.
Team Ghana, will be hoping to replicate the success chalked in Tanzania at the upcoming African Para Games commencing on September 3-12, 2023
Ghana, the hosts have been paired in Group A alongside Tanzania, Cameroon and Zimbabwe.
Ghana draw Tanzan,Cameroon and Zimbabwe for the Amputee Football at the 1st African Para Games Accra 2023. More soon @Afpcparalympic @AusAmbGHA @UKinGhana @USEmbassyGhana @EmbEspGhana @CanHCGhana @FranceandGhana @GermanAmbGhana @moysgovgh @Gh_NSA @of_amputee @ussif_mustapha pic.twitter.com/ZGTVDZHp5p
— NATIONAL PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE-GH (@ParalympicGh) August 17, 2023
Group B – Liberia, Morocco, Uganda & Togo
Group C – Angola, Kenya, Egypt and Rwanda
Ghana’s first group game is against Cameroon on September 3 at 7 pm, ie. opening Ceremony Match.
