Teenage Hadebe arrives in Ghana

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Warriors’ technical department now has a full contingent of players called-up after the defence duo of Teenage Hadebe and Brendan Galloway finally joined the rest of the squad in Cape Coast, Ghana, hours apart yesterday.

United Kingdom-based Galloway was the first to arrive, touching down in the capital Accra in the morning and then undertaking a 150km road trip to the team’s base. Despite the seemingly reasonable distance, the drive from Acrra to Cape Coast takes about three hours due to heavy traffic.

Five hours after Galloway arrived, Hadebe landed in Accra and took the road to join his teammates. The gangly central defender, who can also play at left-back, had been stopped from boarding two flights to Ghana from the United States after being left by the first flight.

On his second attempt, airport officials said his Covid-19 vaccination card had no code, forcing him to return to base. When he returned to the airport with the required card, officials demanded additional documents, which he produced, but they still stopped him from boarding.

Galloway had a misunderstanding with immigration officials in Britain who wanted him to produce a visa despite the fact that it’s issued at port of entry on arrival in Ghana when travelling from Commonwealth countries.

Mapeza and his assistants Mandla Mpofu and Taurayi Mangwiro conducted two training sessions at the Glow-Lamp Soccer Academy ground yesterday. Today the Warriors will train at the match venue ahead of tomorrow’s 6pm kick-off. Tomorrow’s clash with the Black Stars is a crucial Fifa World Cup qualifier, from which the Warriors must at least come out with a point if they are to revive their slim chances of progressing in the qualifiers.