Olympic Games qualifiers: UK-based Freda Ayisi named in Black Queens squad for Zambia clash
Ghanaian and Charlton Athletic midfielder, Freda Ayisi, has been named in the Black Queens squad for the penultimate round of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifier against Zambia.
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Ayisi, 29, will join the rest of her teammates for preparations ahead of the encounter which is scheduled for Friday, February 23, at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Ayisi began playing football at Arsenal, where in her first season she scored against FC Kairat in the Champions League. She was in the Arsenal squad that won the 2014 Women's FA Cup.
The experienced midfielder also played for Birmingham Women's FC against Manchester City Women in the 2017 FA Women's Cup final but they lost 1-4.
In August 2018, Ayisi and Melissa Johnson joined Leicester City for the 2018–19 season before she later joined the London City Lionesses.
She joined Charlton Athletic in 2022 where she has been a phenomenal contributor to their quest to secure promotion to the English Women's Premier League. She featured in all 15 of their Championship games this season and has a goal and an assist to her credit.
In May 2023 she met Black Queens coach, Nora Häuptle who had recently taken the job of managing the Ghana women's national football team.
Häuptle noted Ayisi's talent after she scored Charlton's only goal in a draw against Crystal Palace, leading to her invitation to the Ghanaian team.
Black Queens squad
A total of 23 players have been invited for preparations towards the Zambia duel and they include Comfort Yeboah of Ampem Darkoa Ladies, Kerri McCarthy of Kumasi Sports Academy, Hasaacas Ladies' Yakubu Firdaus and AS FAR Rabat's Maafia Nyame.
Conspicuously missing from the squad is goalkeeper Cynthia Findiib Konlan, who has been on top of her game throughout their Olympic Games qualifiers as well as securing their qualification to the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations to be staged in Morocco later this year.
Related Article: Zambia name squad for Olympic showdown with Black Queens of Ghana
The Black Queens began the 2024 Olympic qualifiers on a flying note with a 7-0 aggregate thumping of Guinea in July and 5-0 aggregate record against Benin in October, 2023.
The players are expected to begin camping in Accra On Sunday, February 18, 2024.
Below is the list of the 23 players for the Zambia job.
