African Youth Championship: Black Satellites fail to make list for Zambia

When the roll call for the U-20 AFCON Zambia 2017 is done, Ghana will be conspicuously missing after a 1-0 win over Senegal on Friday in Cape Coast saw the latter go through 3-2 on aggregate.

Senegal took a bold step towards a place at next year’s U-20 AFCON Zambia 2017 after a 3-1 win over Ghana in the first leg of the final round of the qualifiers a fortnight ago at the Demba Diop Stadium, Dakar.

The former champions failed to make up for the deficit as Senegal became the first team beside host Zambia, to qualify for next year’s finals.

It will be the first time since 2009 that the Black Satellites, the first and only African team to have won the FIFA U-20 World Cup (in 2009 in Egypt), have failed to qualify for the continental championship and the news will serve a blow to football lovers in the West African nation.

“We are all disappointed and the truth of the matter is that we are not able to qualify to Zambia and everybody is disappointed,” Dauda Mohammed told Asempa Sports.

“The players are disappointed and Ghanaians are disappointed; and I'm personally disappointed because l was hoping to qualify my country to next year’s showpiece in Zambia,” added Dauda.

Host Zambia will be joined by Senegal, South Africa, Mali, Cameroon, Guinea, Egypt and Sudan who shocked defending champions Nigeria for the final tournament of the 20th edition of U-20 Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for 26 February to 12 March 2017.

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Story by Ghana/Adom Sports/Frank Agyam