Lack Of Completive Local League Caused Satellites Failure At U20 AFCON – Jimmy Cobblah

Head Coach for Ghana’s Black Satellites, Jimmy Cobblah has attributed his side’s inability to make it to the semi-finals of the u20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to the lack of competitive local league in the country.

The team was on Saturday sent home packing from the u20 AFCON in Niger following a 1-0 loss to Mali in their final Group B game. The result meant they came 3rd on the group table which denied the opportunity of progressing into the semi-finals.

Speaking in a post-match interview on Saturday, Jimmy Cobblah indicated that the lack of league football affected the fitness level of the local players which did not help their course.

“We have learnt a lot. We realize that preparation is very important. Competition is very important. As we all know we don’t have competition in our country and it has also affected us because we should have played with a lot of our local boys. When you look at the nations or the teams that came most of them are using most of their local boys”, the Satellites coach said.

He further stressed that his team did their best to win that match and it was unfortunate they could not carry the day.

“I think we all came in to win this game. We either win or we draw but it was just unfortunate. The goal they scored nobody thought it was a goal that was going into the net. We did our best but I think the day was not for us. It is for them and they gotten it and I wish them well”.

The team’s poor showing at the youth AFCON means Ghana has failed to qualify for the u20 world cup in Poland later this year.