The West Africa Football Union (WAFU) Zone B has named Niger and Ghana as hosts of the regional body’s U20 and U17 Championships, respectively this year.
The leadership of WAFU Zone B settled on Cape Coast, Ghana, as the host city for the 2022 U-17 Cup of Nations in June. The Zone B Championship, which serves as qualifiers for the 2023 TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations, will be staged in the Central Regional capital from Saturday, June 11 to Friday, June 24, 2022.
The tournament will feature host Ghana, defending Champions, Cote D’Ivoire, giants Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and Niger. The Black Starlets would aim for a ticket to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after crashing out at the Group stages in the previous edition in Togo. Coach Samuel Fabin’s side has been preparing for this competition since December 2021.
Niger to host U20 WAFU Zone B championship
Meanwhile, the regional governing body has also confirmed the selection of Niger as the host country for the 2022 U20 WAFU Zone B championship.
The biennial tournament, which also serves as the qualification for the TotalEnergies U20 Africa Cup of Nations, will get the organization’s activities underway for this year. It will be held in the capital, Niamey, from May 7 to May 20, 2022.
Title holders, Ghana, will compete with rivals Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo and hosts Niger for the coveted trophy. The teams will also be vying for places at the 2023 edition of the U20 AFCON tournament which will take place in Egypt from February 18, 2023 to March 12, 2023.
The top four teams will qualify to the FIFA U20 World Cup to be held in Indonesia later that year. Coach Abdul Karim Zito’s team is currently preparing for the 2022 tournament at the Ghanaman Centre of Excellence in Prampram.
In the previous edition of the WAFU B U-20 tournament, the Black Satellites of Ghana came from behind to beat Burkina Faso 2-1 to win the 2020 Championship at the Stade Charles De Gaulles in Porto Novo, Benin.
Ghana went ahead to conquer the rest of Africa at the main tournament in Mauritania, beating Uganda 2-0 in the finals in Nouakchott to win its fourth title in the history of the tournament.
Reigning Africa U20 best player seals move to Sporting Lisbon
Meanwhile, the reigning Africa U20 best player, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, said his move to Portuguese giants, Sporting Lisbon, will help him reach his full potential, starting with the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Ghanaian youngster completed his transfer to Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, after sealing a permanent contract from Tamale-based Steadfast FC. The 18-year-old signed a five-year contract with the Portuguese giants which will keep him at the club until June, 2027.
Fatawu, who joined the Portuguese champions from the Ghanaian second-tier side, was presented at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy owned by the club, where he declared that the move will help him attain his mission of reaching the top.
“I’m very happy to be here, it’s fantastic. They welcomed me very well. There are many differences between the football I was playing and Sporting CP. The move will make me grow more. Everyone has helped me, telling me what I have to do”.
Abdul Fatawu Issahaku
The highly-rated teenager was named overall best player after helping Ghana to win the TotalEnergies U20 Africa Cup of Nations tournament last year. Ghana will be making its fourth appearance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar this November and Fatawu is expected to make the final squad for the global showpiece.
