U-17 Is For Future Not Now - Fabin

Ghana national U-17  head coach, Paa Kwesi Fabin has played down expectations that the Black Starlets team being put together should win trophies for the country.

The Black Starlets were a force to reckon with in the youth tournaments both in Africa and in the world, winning the Under-17 World Cup trophy in 1991 and 1995, but has since gone blank in the subsequent competitions.

But  the former Hearts of Oak coach Fabin, who is yet to lead Ghana to a world youth championship after failing to guide the Black Starlets past the group stage of the 2013 Africa Under-17 Cup of Nations, says building a youth team purposely to groom them for the future, and that winning trophies is a bonus.

“You see people say we want trophies. Yes, the reason why this Under-17 team was brought about was to get people to graduate to the next level and not necessarily for trophies but along the line if we are able to win a trophy, that’s all well and good,” Fabin told Starr FM.

“Definitely at the back of my mind I am looking at working hard, getting to that level and then probably winning that trophy before I quit but I must confess it is not my priority.”

Paa Kwesi Fabin recently completed a nationwide tour for talents and has also named 40 from theAirtel Rising Stars to build a final team for th 2017 Africa Youth Championship in Madagascar.

Ghana was drawn against Liberia in the preliminary phase of the qualifiers. The fixture will be played between 24 and 26 June and  the return encounter will be played between July 1 and 3.

U-17 Is For Future Not Now - Fabin

Banter: Starlets Ecuador 95 Success Was Due To Hardwork And Not... Oti Akenteng

Yes We’d Spiritual Backing But World Cup Success Was Down To Hardwork – Oti Akenteng

The Ghana Black Starlets under the tutelage of Coach Emmanuel Kwasi Afranie and ably supported by Oti Akenteng led Ghana to wins its second trophy at the youth level after previously winning in 1991.

 

 

The FIFA U-17 World Championship, kicked off in Ecuador with Ghana’s unequalled record of three Final appearances and two wins had them tagged the team to beat in this age group and didn’t surprise the pundit and many bookmakers who had made the Starlets the favourite when Ghana beat Brazil 3-2 in the final match.

 

But in an interesting turn of event, former starlets player and a member of the Ecuador 95 success story had revealed what he termed as ‘spiritual assistance’ the secret and not the favourite tag as the reason for the triumph. The play-maker nicknamed the dribbling magician believes a powerful prayer from one Pastor Acquah Isaac and a daring message claiming should they fail to win the trophy he’s willing to give up his church as the tool for the success.

Flashback: Awudu Issaka kisses the FIFA U17 trophy

Coach Oti Akenteng who is currently the technical director at the Ghana football association and leader of the delegation that called on the Pastor before the team departed for the youth championship disagrees with his former player and doesn’t believe that was a guarantee for their victory in Ecuador.

 

Speaking to Kumasi based radio station, Boss fm 93.7, the former Heart of Lions coach said,  “Yes Awudu is right, we visited Pastor Isaac Acquah before we departed for Ecuador. He prayed for us! I led the team there because that’s where I fellowship and I’d faith and believe in the man-of-God.”

 

“He assured us of world cup success but we also knew how to pray and so we did and we also put in hard-work into the competition and that also contributed to the success we chalked but not because the pastor prayed or prophesized we won,” he added.

 

The recent Ghana Black starlets have struggled to perform better or even closer to the 1991 and 1995 group and it has become a national concern as that stage acts as a feeder team to the rest of the national teams namely, the U-20 (Black Satellites), the U-23 (Black Meteors) and the senior national team (the Black Stars).

Banter: Starlets Ecuador 95 Success Was Due To Hardwork And Not... Oti Akenteng

The Current U-17 Is Cursed - Awudu Issaka

It’s Clear The Black Starlets Is Cursed – Awudu Issaka

The Ghana national U17 team, popularly referred to as the Black starlets have not won the FIFA U17 trophy since 1995 and former Black starlets player and a key member of the team that won Ghana’s last, Awudu Issaka knows why this barren run of trophy exists.

 

 

Awudu Issaka, 36, started his playing career with the youth team of record 23-times Ghana premier league champions, Kumasi Asante Kotoko before signing for Prampram Mighty Royals FC in Ghana’s second division, where he already played for the first team at the age of fifteen.

 

The dribbling magician as he was nicknamed signed for Belgian side, RSC Anderlecht after the FIFA World Youth Championship and in an interview with Boss 93.7 fm in Kumasi revealed what he knows and believes is the reason why the recent Black starlets have not been successful since he last played in the 1995 winning team.

 

According to the former Liberty professionals play maker, “before the Ecuador 1995 FIFA U17 world cup, head coach, Oti Akenteng lead the playing body to visit a man of God at Akim-Oda for prayers (spiritual assistance – to help the team win the trophy) before leaving for the tournament.”

 

“After the tournament the Black starlets and the technical team failed to return to the man of God and show appreciation and the one-time creative midfielder believes it is why the Ecuador squad was not so successful.”

“I’ve cursed the players , he (the man of God) said. I (Awudu Issaka) believe Servant Isaac’s comment – he’s done’ with the team is a bare fact to what the current U17 team is experiencing. The thanks and appreciation he wanted in return was missing and I believe he’s still hurt,” he added.

 

Head coach, Paa Kwasi Fabian along with the technical head at the Ghana football association

The Current U-17 Is Cursed - Awudu Issaka