Ghana beach soccer team set for 2014 Copa Lagos

Ghana’s Beach Soccer team, the Black Sharks look poised to test their raw but exciting skills against the world's best this December at the Copa Lagos invitational in Nigeria.

The annual beach soccer festival organised by Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW), has seen African beach soccer Champions like Senegal, European giants Germany and five times world champions Brazil all take turns to thrill beach soccer fans in the previous three editions in the Nigeria capital.

Confirming Ghana's participation Yaw Ampofo-Ankrah of Beach Soccer Ghana, stated that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has accepted the invitation and successfully registered team Ghana for the end of year event.

'' We are pleased that our invitation from BSWW has been accepted by the GFA. This will be our first time but that does not mean we should automatically tag ourselves underdogs. We just have to prepare seriously in earnest to make a meaningful impact''

Founded in 2011, Copa Lagos is organized under the scope of the BSWW Tour – the FIFA-recognized entity behind the creation and growth of Beach Soccer. In addition to the international dimension, the event aims to have a strategic role in developing beach soccer in Nigeria.

Since launching the first Copa Lagos three years ago, expert participation from the sports industry has increased remarkably, and is projected to be even greater at the 2014 edition.

The three-day event will be the prime family event that celebrates every sphere of life ranging from music, fashion, to entrepreneurship and sports – a complete package for every member of the family.

Gearing up for the fourth edition, the round robin event is set to attract the best of the best once again including the 2013 Euro Beach soccer Champions Switzerland and the Ivory Coast already confirmed as participants.

Nicknamed the Black Sharks, Ghana would not want to be the whipping boys even if considered underdogs due to the relative inexperience of their national team players.

However, with the Ghanaians running the only two competitive beach soccer leagues in the sub region, they could pull off an unexpected triumph.

With an influx of new talents from the league, the Black Sharks stands to benefit immensely should they partake in the event billed to kick off on December 12.

Ranked 71^st in the world, Ghana's only previous show in a continental competition came at the 2013 African Beach Soccer Championships in Morocco where they lost to the hosts and Madagascar and Senegal but managed to score six goals.

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