{
  "id": 4365945,
  "title": "Antonio helps young Ghanaians chase Premier League dreams",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/antonio-helps-young-ghanaians-chase-premier-league-dreams-4365945",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-30T07:02:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/antonio-helps-young-ghanaians-chase-070205695.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Samba Stars, a Ghanaian football academy backed by former West Ham and Nottingham Forest striker Michail Antonio, have spent two and a half months in England chasing their dream of impressing professional clubs and earning contracts. Head coach Freddie Okyere and his team of talented young players have been put through their paces against various EFL and non-league youth teams in rural Leicestershire. The academy's goal is to provide elite coaching and create avenues into the professional game for these young players, showcasing Ghana's immense football talent. Scouts from clubs like Bournemouth, Everton, Manchester City, Charlton, Preston, Barnsley, and Peterborough have taken players on trial during the team's stay. With their new facilities in Ghana, the Samba Stars hope to become one of the top two or three academies in the country and bring the best Ghanaian talent to Europe.",
  "summary": "Former West Ham forward Michail Antonio is helping players from a Ghana academy, who have travelled to England in the hope of turning pro.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Fan Focus: What can Sunderland expect from Alvaro Arbeloa’s Fulham side?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/fan-focus-what-can-sunderland-expect-from-alvaro-arbeloas-fulham-side",
        "published": "2026-08-30T05:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport Football",
        "title": "Antonio helps young Ghanaians chase Premier League dreams",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/antonio-helps-young-ghanaians-chase-premier-league-dreams",
        "published": "2026-08-30T07:01:58.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}