<<Print>>

Ghana has rejected a request by Espanyol to have midfielder Mubarak Wakaso delay his arrival for their pre-African Cup of Nations camp next week, MTNFootball.com can exclusively reveal. The Black Stars will start camping in Abu Dhabi on 4 January for Africa�s flagship football tournament to be held in South Africa. The Spanish top-flight side were hoping to have their key midfielder Wakaso for the La Liga derby clash against Barcelona on 6 January. Espanyol asked the GFA to allow Wakaso to join his Ghana team-mates in the UAE on 7 January which could have made him available for the tough match a day earlier. But Espanyol insiders have told MTNFootball.com that the GFA has rejected the request insisting that the player must join camp on 4 January just like all the other players in the Black Stars squad. This means Wakaso will not be available for Espanyol�s biggest match of the season as the midfielder will now join the Ghana team on the date set by coach Kwesi Appiah. Almost all the players invited for the Black Stars camping including the Europe-based stars, who are currently on holidays in the country, will travel with the squad from Accra. Ghana will be camping in the UAE city of Abu Dhabi in preparation for the competition to be held in South Africa from January 19 to February 10. The Black Stars have been drawn in Group B where they will face DR Congo, Mali and Niger.