EVERTON’S proposed trip to Ghana next month has been scrapped while Malaga will be the team’s final pre-season opponents.

The Goodison Park outfit were scheduled to make their first visit to sub-Saharan Africa for the game on Sunday, July 12 but have now been informed that opposition would not now be available after the Ghana FA scheduled a domestic cup competition that clashed with the confirmed date.

This means that Asante Kotoko will not be available to play in the game at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.

Chief Executive Robert Elstone said: “This is extremely disappointing news.

"The club had invested a lot of time and effort into making this game a reality and were looking forward to making the trip out to Kumasi.

“It became clear in the past 24 hours that the opposition would be unable to meet its obligation to play Everton on July 12 and despite looking at other dates and teams, in the end it just could not work elsewhere in the schedule.

“We obviously have a responsibility to David Moyes and his players and we are all focused on ensuring they get the best possible preparation ahead of the start of the new Premier League season.”