Ghana football will experience its largest influx of foreign scouts in recent memory as leading Ghanaian football agency, ArthurLegacy Sports hosts its annual Invitational tourney.
The brainchild of agent Oliver Arthur, the Invitational brings together hundreds of talented footballers from across the country who have been scouted. They will be observed over a three day period by the scouts and technical men from some of the biggest clubs in world football.
Now in its eleventh iteration, the 2022 ArthurLegacy Invitational will also host select squads from Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire in addition to the regional select squads.
According to Oliver Arthur, this year’s Invitational has been expanded to match the growing demand for top Ghanaian and West African talent.
“We have been doing this on the quiet for sometime but the success of some of the talents that have emerged from this idea means we are no longer a secret and a lot of European clubs have been knocking on our doors to be a part. If you look at what Afena Gyan has achieved at AS Roma in less than year , it sets the template. Others like Salim Abubakar at Sassuolo, Annan at Bologna , Sulemana Ibrahim of Hellas Verona and others have all done well. Clubs are now more than convinced that this is a good ground for them”.
The tournament will also have a different feel with the addition of a seminar to educate players on legal means of acquiring and processing documentation as well as how to engage with agents. This will be done in collaboration with the, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ghana Football Association and the diplomatic community.
” We also realised that there was a lot of ignorance on the part of clubs and players with regards to how players are registered, their documentation and other things that end up hindering their development outside of their natural talent. We have an obligation to improve their knowledge in these areas hence our decision to add this all important seminar as part of our programme” Oliver Arthur explained.
The ArthurLegacy Invitational will take place at the Accra Sports Stadium from April 26-28.