Appiah Wishes Satellites Well

Black Stars captain Stephen Appiah has told the country's national Under-20 players to make the most of their chance at the World Youth Championships and do not just themselves but the nation proud. Ghana are due to open their 2009 World Youth Championships campaign in Ismaili on Saturday and Appiah who was a member of the Satellites team when they reached the last four in 1997 in Malaysia and the last eight two years later in Nigeria says the tournament is a grand opportunity for the players to make a mark. "I have been there twice and so I know what it can do for a player," Appiah who earned his European breakthrough after his appearance in Malaysia said. "They have to see this as an opportunity for themselves; it's a chance they must take." The tournament is a revered tournament in Ghana given the role it has played in the careers of some of Ghana's biggest names. John Mensah, Stephen Appiah, Sulley Muntari, Michael Essien, John Paintsil, Derek Boateng and former Bayern Munich defender Samuel Osei Kuffuor all represented Ghana at that level at some point in their careers.