On Thursday, July 20, 2023, Ivory Coast will play against Burkina Faso in the final of the second edition of the West African Football Union (WAFU) U20 Boys’ Tournament at the Robert Champroux Stadium in Marcory. Before the final, Boureima Balima, the Executive Director of WAFU Zone B, met with the press to provide an overview of the organization of this edition.
Indeed, on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at the Robert Champroux Stadium in Marcory, he expressed his regret over the absence of Jean-Louis Gasset, the national coach of Ivory Coast, at this tournament, while appreciating the presence of the coaches from Togo and Benin.
“I appreciated the presence of the national coach of Benin and that of Togo at this tournament. It shows the interest given to the under-20 selections; it shows that there is a follow-up of the national selections by the national coaches. I didn’t see Jean-Louis Gasset. He could have been present since the competition is taking place on his turf,” lamented the Executive Director of WAFU Zone B.
Speaking about the assessment, the Executive Director of WAFU Zone B stated that this tournament was of a good level. He also mentioned that the 9 matches of the competition were played by 95 players. “The difference from the first edition is significant. The level of the young players is higher than that of the seniors. If there is continuous monitoring of these young players in our federations, they will form the core of the national selections. The aim of this zonal tournament is to anticipate the upcoming challenges at the level of our national men’s teams. We need to prepare these young players,” explained the former goalkeeper of the Burkina Faso national team.
