Host and Win: Black Princesses eye WAFU success in Kumasi
WITH an opportunity to add more honours to his credentials, the coach of Ghana’s Under-20 women’s team, Yusif Basigi, has his sights on the inaugural West Africa Football Union (WAFU) Zone B tournament that kicks off on Saturday.
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From Saturday to June 3, the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi will be hosting the tournament which will see seven teams, including Ghana’s Black Princesses, vying for the maiden trophy.
For Coach Basigi and his team, ‘host and win’ will not be just a mantra, as they begin their campaign on Saturday, will put in the effort to accomplish their mission.
“Our mission is to win the maiden tournament, yes because we are hosting but also because we believe we have to establish our credentials as the best not just in the sub region but on the entire continent,” he said in interview with the Graphic Sports ahead of the competition.
The Black Princesses will open their campaign on May 20 against Benin before taking on Cote D’Ivoire in the other group A game on Saturday, May 27, 2023.
Group B will feature Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso and Togo.
Coach Basigi said the Princesses were keen to win and have something to show for their quality, as they had not had the opportunity to do so at the global stage.
Though they have qualified for six successive Women’s World Cup (WWC), unfavourable draws had denied them the chance to go past the group stage and an opportunity to win honours.
“The Princesses have quality yet they have been unfortunate to make it at the global level. This is an opportunity to change that narrative and win some honours and we will go all out to achieve this dream.
“The mission is to emulate our big sisters, Black Queens, who won the inaugural WAFU Zone B tournament in 2018. We are not complacent, but will work hard and take it a game at a time,” Coach Basigi, one of the most successful coaches in women’s football at the national level, said.
With most of the players from Under-17 team, Black Maidens, now graduated to the Princesses, Coach Basigi believes they have the quality and exposure to achieve their dream, stressing that they will maintain their focus till their mission is accomplished.
While not dismissing the challenge from the other participating teams, Coach Basigi believes the competition could end in a final showdown between Ghana and rivals, Nigeria, the other women’s football super power in both the sub region and on the continent.
“We are not dismissing any team; in fact, all teams deserve to be here as they qualified on merit. Though we aim for the final to clinch the trophy, our focus is to take our campaign a game at a time,” he stressed.
