Ghana’s Black Stars will camp in Johannesburg in South Africa ahead of the start of the 2023 AFCON in Cote D’Ivoire despite weather disparities in the two locations.
The news was confirmed by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and Ghana’s National Men’s Football Team will setup camp in South Africa on December 31.
This comes after 55 players were called to the provisional list by Black Stars head coach Chris Hughton with a handful of Ghana Premier League players included in the team.
Kumasi Asante Kotoko’s Richmond Lamptey and Medeama SC’s Jonathan Sowah, Fatawu Hamidu and Felix Kyei headline the Ghana League call ups.
West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus, Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew and Athletic Bilbao’s Inaki Williams are familiar names included in the provisional squad that is expected to be trimmed to 27 by the January 3 deadline.
Camping in South Africa and not Ghana or the host nation Cote D’Ivoire looks like an odd fit considering the weather in the West African nations are sharply different to that of South Africa’s.
The average temperature of South Africa in December and early January ranges between 19 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius while the temperature in Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire ranges between 24 degrees and 32 degrees Celsius.
Ghana is in Group B at the 2023 AFCON with Egypt, Cape Verde and Mozambique.