Former Black Stars and Bayern Munich defender Samuel Osei Kuffour has challenged Ghana’s home-based Black Stars to strive to make the nation proud in the upcoming WAFU Championship, insisting it will define the value of the Ghana Premier League.

To him, this is a tournament that will be dominated by home-based players from all the 16 participating countries and Ghana’s performance will be a replica of the level of the Premier League.

Ghana will be seeking to defend the title they won in 2013, as they prepare to face Gambia in the opening game of the competition on September 9 at the Essipong Stadium in Sekondi.

“It’s a big test for us. We have to go all the way. If we fail then we know that the league is not good,” Kuffour told the media after the draw on Thursday.

“We have to also be concerned about our players; if they have the quality to win the trophy for us.”

Ghana will battle Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Mali, Mauritania, Guinea and Guinea Bissau in Zone A