WAFU calls off U-20 tourney scheduled for Ghana

The West African Football Union (WAFU) U-20 Tournament scheduled for Ghana in November has been called off due to financial challenges.

The tourney fixed for November 15-28, was expected to feature teams in the WAFU Zone B headed by Kwesi Nyantakyi, President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), but organizers said issues with funds have forced them to cancel the event.

Aka Malan, General Secretary of WAFU in a telephone chat with GNA Sports confirmed that the eight-nation tourney is now history.

“We will not be able to organize the tournament due to problems with funding. We were trying to organize funds, but nothing substantial has come out.”

According to the disappointed scribe, his outfit has indefinitely put on hold the tournament in order raise enough sponsorship towards hosting a successful tourney at a later date.

The tourney was also expected to gauge the preparations of teams such as Ghana, Benin and Nigeria towards next years African Youth Championship in Algeria.

The calling off of the youth tournament comes on the heels of the cancellation of the WAFU Women’s Championship in Cote d’Ivoire few weeks ago.

Unlike the men, the women teams had reported in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan, only to learn that the tournament will not see the light of day.

The WAFU U-20 Championship was last held in 2008 in Nigeria with the Black Satellites emerging winners before capping it with the African title in Rwanda and FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt a year later.

Source: GNA