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 (UFOA) U20 Boys Tournament at Stade Robert Champroux in Marcory. Before the final, Boureima Balima, the Executive Director of UFOA B, met with the press to provide an overview of the organization of this edition.
Indeed, on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at Stade Robert Champroux 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 monitoring of the national teams by the national coaches. I did not see Jean-Louis Gasset. He could have been present since the competition is being held in his backyard,” lamented the Executive Director of UFOA B.
Speaking about the assessment, the Executive Director of UFOA 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 compared to the first edition is significant. The level of the youth players is higher than that of the senior players. If there is continuous monitoring of these young players in our federations, they will form the backbone of the national teams. The purpose of this tournament in the zone is to anticipate the upcoming challenges for our national male teams. We need to prepare these young players,” emphasized the former Burkina Faso goalkeeper.
