By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Keta (V/R), Sept. 04, GNA- The Ghana national beach soccer team, the Black Sharks, is set to hold a nationwide “justify your inclusion” trial as part of preparations for the crucial 2026 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations (BSAFCON) qualifiers against the Super Sand Eagles of Nigeria scheduled for October this year.
The move was designed to ensure that no player’s place on the national team is taken for granted, with every prospective member of the squad, regardless of past appearances or reputation, required to earn their spot afresh on merit.
Mr Daniel Nii Kotey, the Head Coach of the team, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), that the exercise would underscore a deliberate shift toward accountability and competitiveness within the national set-up, as the team looks to field its strongest possible hand for the high-stakes qualifiers.
“Under our arrangement, players who feature for the Black Sharks in previous competitions will not be handed automatic selection but will instead be required to report to the trial grounds alongside new and emerging talents to justify why they deserve to retain their place in the team,” he said.
He said that the approach is meant to sharpen competition for places, sustain high-performance standards, and open the door for any player, established or unknown, who would demonstrate the requisite quality and fitness needed for the team.
He explained that as part of the nationwide exercise, the two-day ‘justify your inclusion’ trials would be held at the Emancipation Beach in Keta on September 11 and 12.
“During the trials, players will be assessed on fitness, technical ability, tactical discipline and overall competitiveness. All eligible players are invited to report and prove their worth, since no player is guaranteed to selection without going through the process.”
He explained that the World Cup dimension makes the process even more critical, as only players who could perform under pressure and demonstrate genuine quality would be trusted with a place in a squad to chase global glory.
Other technical handlers overseeing the exercise have stressed that the trials would be conducted transparently, and players would be assessed strictly on current form and performance on the day, rather than on past achievements with the team, to allow only fittest and most in-form players to make the final cut for the qualifiers against a Nigerian side that won two previous Beach Soccer AFCON titles in 2006 and 2007.
Sports enthusiasts within the region have also welcomed the “justify your inclusion” approach and described the move as a fair and merit-based system that would give all talents a genuine opportunity to break into the national team during the two-day trials.
The 2026 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations would also double as the African qualifying route for the 2027 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, with both finalists earning automatic ticket to the global event while the two-legged encounter against Nigeria was scheduled for October 9 to 11, 2026 and the return fixture billed for October 16 to 18, with venue and kick-off times yet to be officially confirmed.
The GNA further gathered that the ‘justify your inclusion’ which would also be held at Zone A, was necessitated due to lack of active beach Soccer league in the area to make players fit enough for the upcoming encounter.
As the Black Sharks intensify preparations for the October qualifiers, football stakeholders said the rigour of the trial process would be central to building a formidable and battle-ready squad capable of overcoming Nigeria to advance toward the continental finals in Senegal, and ultimately, securing a place at the 2027 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah