Ghana and seven other countries are to facilitate football clinics in India dubbed Expo 2014 Unity World Cup as part of the exposition of the sacred relics of Saint Francis Xavier.

In addition to participating in the tournament, these special select teams from Ghana and the other countries have been trained and adequately prepared to also facilitate soccer clinics in secondary schools and colleges across various locations in India to whip up interest for the sport.

The other countries are Brazil, Portugal, Nigeria, Egypt, Columbia, Uzbekistan and the host nation India.

The John Paul II Foundation for Sports in Goa, an ecclesiastical body of the Archdiocese of Goa is hosting the International Football Championship event slated for December 6 to 14.

In a statement to the Ghana News Agency in Accra signed by Mrs Abigail Mensah of the Ghana Sports Coalition (GSC) the purpose of the tournament is to bring a closer relation between children and the Church.

It also serves as platform to teach values to those who will attend the matches and the Football training clinics/workshops that are being conducted by the visiting teams.

“It will also help bringing young people to come closer to God through several personal experiences being shared by players from different parts of the World.

“The exposition itself will bring pilgrims from across the world and therefore it will be an opportunity also for players, coaches and officials to visit Goa as pilgrims and ambassadors of God using football as a media for teaching value education,” the statement stated.

According to the statement Ethiopian Airlines is a sponsor of the Ghana team which includes former Black Stars player Amankwah Mireku and former Black Meteors player Eric Kolekang.

Ghana is in Group A together with Portugal, Brazil and India.