Otto Addo urges young Black Stars to seize Unity Cup opportunity – Nsemkeka
Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has encouraged the younger members of his squad to make the most of the Unity Cup as a platform to showcase their talent and stake a claim in the national team.
The four-nation tournament featuring Ghana, Nigeria, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago—offers Addo the chance to test new players while continuing to build momentum from Ghana’s recent progress in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Addo has handed call-ups to five debutants: Joseph Tetteh Anang, Aaron Essel, Caleb Yirenkyi, Abdul Aziz Issah, and Mohammed Gaddafi Fuseini, each of whom has impressed at either club level or with Ghana’s youth national teams.
Speaking ahead of Ghana’s semi-final clash against Nigeria, Addo emphasised the importance of the tournament for player development.
“Team building is a gradual process,” he said. “This tournament provides a great chance for our young players to prove themselves. We want to foster healthy competition within the squad by giving every talent a fair opportunity to shine.”
The squad for the Unity Cup is missing several senior players, including Antoine Semenyo, Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, Alexander Djiku, and Mohammed Kudus, due to scheduling conflicts and injuries.
Ghana will take on Nigeria on Wednesday, May 28, at the GTech Community Stadium. The winner will advance to the final on Saturday, May 31, to face Jamaica.