Accra Hearts of Oak number one shot stopper Richard Atta is set for his maiden call up into the senior national male team the Black Stars as head coach Charles Kwablan Akonnor is set to name his squad for 2021 AFCON qualifiers against Sudan.
The Black Stars head coach will hold a press conference today in Accra at 11:00am at the Accra City Hotel, where he will announce his squad for the AFCON qualifiers double header against Sudan to be played in Cape Coast and Khartoum. Akonnor is expected to name at least three locally based players who play in the domestic league in his expected 23-man squad, and Accra Hearts of Oak’s Richard Atta has emerged favourite to be considered for the goalkeeping slots.
Ahead of the announcement by Akonnor, foxfmonline can reveal that the former Hearts of Oak, Asante Kotoko gaffer will name three local players in his squad, and these will include Richard Atta, Asante Kotoko centre back Habib Mohammed and Aduana Stars skipper and leading striker, Yahaya Mohammed.
Unlike Yahaya Mohammed, both Habib Mohammed and Richard Atta are yet to have a taste of the senior national team camp and this will be their first time of earning a call up to the Black Stars.
Habib Mohammed was a member of the Black Stars B squad that won silver at the 2019 WAFU tournament in Senegal but is yet to make the cut to the Black Stars proper. Richard Atta, who joined the Phobians this season from Elmina Sharks, has never played for any of the national teams, and is set for his maiden call up to serve his nation. Moving straight from the domestic league to the senior national team will be no mean an achievement for him.
Yahaya Mohammed on the other hand has been called up to the Black Stars in the past and he will look forward to have some minutes in the doubleheader against Sudan. The former OGC Nice forward is currently the second top scorer of the domestic league with 10 goals in 12 matches.