A contingent of 21 players of second division African Stars Football Club has left Accra to participate in a 40-nation carnival cup soccer tournament in Italy as representatives of Ghana.

The tournament is being held from January 28 through February 11, 2002 in Viareggio, Italy. The carnival cup is a youth soccer tournament that showcases new potentials in soccer.

The African Stars participation is under the auspices of Global Management Group headed by Ghanaians born George Lamptey, a soccer coach based in the United States of America.

African Stars are paired in Group Seven, which also included the youth sides of Inter Milan, Lazio and Stella Rossa of Yugoslavia. Obuasi Goldfields was the first Ghanaian side to take part in the tournament.

Alhaji Maikono, Chairman of African Stars told the GNA Sports in a pre- departure interview that his team is a youthful side and that some of the players play for premier division sides.