Ghana heads WAFU’s Zone C

Ghana headed by FA Pesident, Kwesi Nyantakyi was over the weekend elected as the representative of Zone C for the West African Football Union – WAFU.

Kwesi Nyantakyi and three other persons were elected to head the four zones that WAFU has been divided into as the sport body seeks to reorganise itself in their quest to develop the game in the region.

Ghana, Liberia, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast are holed up in Zone C.

The regional football body at its extra-ordinary elective general assembly in the Ghanaian capital, Accra also Fifa and Caf member Dr Amos Adamu as the body's new President.

Nine-member federations including Benin Republic, Niger, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Mali, Guinea, Senegal and Mauritania of the 16-member body endorsed Amos Adamu who takes over from Ivorian Jacques Anouma.

Despite a promising session during the March 2004 congress in Abidjan, WAFU has failed to make a desired impact on the game in the sub-region, a fact held by many including the President of the Ghana Football Association.

“It is a shame that despite the fact that the strongest football-playing nations in Africa are in the west, the Wafu is not organized and there are no competitions like the other sub-regions. We have a responsibility to relaunch Wafu, re-invigorate it and make it the standard bearer that it used to be”, the Ghana FA President said.

Nyantakyi added: “Of the five countries that represented Africa at the World Cup in Germany last year, three of them, namely Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire and Togo are from West Africa. But the leadership of football in the sub-region leaves much to be desired.”

WAFU President, Amos Adamu told the delegates that his executive is on a rescue mission: “We have a responsibility to re-invigorate Wafu, by ensuring there are competitions at senior, intermediate, junior, female and inter-club levels, so that the youth become excited again.

“We would no have accepted this responsibility if we were not capable and willing”.

The assembly also elected Moucharaf Anjorin of Benin Republic as the first Vice-President of WAFU with Mrs Izetta Wesley of Liberia taking the position of the second Vice-President.

Elected as representatives of the zones are: Kwesi Nyantakyi of Ghana (Zone C), Massa Diara of Mauritania (Zone A), Yacouba Traore of Mali (Zone B) and Oumarou Diambedou of Niger (Zone D).

WAFU was founded in 1977 with an annual national team and club competitions but interest diminished in the early 1990s.