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Afcon 2021: Ghana to open camp in Doha on Dec. 22

December 10, 2021

The Black Stars of Ghana will open camp in Doha, Qatar on Wednesday, December 22, 2021, ahead of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in early next year.

The team will be in Doha for a period of three weeks to prepare for the tournament in Cameroon.

The Black Stars will play three international friendly matches in Qatar to give coach Milovan Rajevac the opportunity to assess his squad for the Tournament.

Ghana are expected to play a yet to named club side on Tuesday, December 28, before taking on one of the Africa Cup of Nations qualified teams on Friday, January 1, 2022, in another friendly.

The team will wrap up their test matches against African Champions Algeria on Wednesday, January 5, 2022.

The Black Stars will depart Doha for Yaoundé on Friday, January 7, 2022, to take on the rest of Africa at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Rajevac has until Friday, December 30, 2021, to submit his final squad for the tournament.

GHANA SCHEDULE IN DOHA – QATAR

• Team open camp on December 22, 2021

• First Friendly match against a club side – December 28, 2021

• Second friendly match against AFCON bound country – January 1, 2022

• Third friendly against Algeria – January 5, 2022

• Departure to Cameroon – January 7, 2022

• Submission of the final squad – December 30, 2021

The tournament will start on January 9 with the Black Stars playing their first match the next day against Morocco.

Their next game is against Gabon on January 14 before wrapping up their group stage campaign four days later against debutants Comoros.

The final match will be played on February 6.

Ghanaian Giants destroyed in Algeria.

The Accra outfit fell 4-0 to JS Saoura in the remote west Algerian city of Bechar and lost the play-off 4-2 on aggregate.

Hearts began the 2021-2022 African club season in the elite CAF Champions League, but exited in the final qualifying round after suffering a 6-1 hiding from Wydad Casablanca in Morocco.

Hopes were high in the football-crazy west African country that 2004 Confederation Cup winners Hearts would fare better against debutants Saoura after establishing a two-goal advantage last weekend.

But Saoura netted twice in the first half of the return match to level the tie on aggregate and early and late second-half goals took them into the December 23 group draw in Cairo.

Abdeljalil Saad was first to score for the hosts, Oussama Bellatreche netted either side of half-time and Abdelaziz Lahmeri completed the rout two minutes from time.

Lahmeri has scored four goals in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League, while four other players who achieved the chart-topping feat belong to clubs who have been eliminated.

Rivers United of Nigeria were another club from the west of the continent to bow out, losing 1-0 to Al Masry in Egypt and failing on away goals.

The goal that won the return match and the tie came after just 14 minutes from Mohamed Grendo in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.

However, there is a good chance that Nigeria will be represented in the 16-club group stage, which kicks off on February 16, a week after the Africa Cup of Nations final in Cameroon.

Enyimba, the most successful Nigerian club in Africa with four CAF titles, built a 2-0 lead over Libyan visitors Al Ittihad 2-0 in a delayed first leg.

Sadiq Abubakar and Victor Mbaoma scored in the first half for the two-time African champions, whose best Confederation Cup showing was reaching the 2018 semi-finals.

No date has been set for the second leg, but Enyimba have the upper hand under coach and former Nigeria star Finidi George.

“Enyimba is a sleeping giant and I am determined to take them back where they belong — among the strongest clubs in Africa,” promised George when he took charge recently.

Former CAF Champions League winners TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo and ASEC Mimosas of the Ivory Coast were among 14 clubs to secure group places so far.

After a shock exit from the Champions League, Mazembe forced a 0-0 draw away to South African minnows Marumo Gallants in Polokwane and won 1-0 on aggregate thanks to a first-leg own-goal.

Mazembe were the lone DR Congo survivors with Maniema Union suffering a second 1-0 defeat by Pyramids of Egypt while DC Motema Pembe were eliminated by Gendarmerie Nationale of Niger despite a 1-0 home win.

Teenager Karim Konate followed up a first-leg brace by scoring the second goal as ASEC triumphed 3-2 over Angolan team InterClube having taken a two-goal lead to Luanda.