Ghana's male Under-17 football team, the Black Starlets, have returned home with an assurance that they will prepare well so as to improve upon their performance when they participate in this year’s FIFA World Championship in India in October this year.
The Starlets finished second after losing the final 0-1 to Mali, ending their dream of lifting the Africa Under-17 title for the third time. While Coach Paa Kwesi Fabin is disappointed by their miss, he remains optimistic that his team are strong enough to put up a good showing when they go to India.
“Of course, we are disappointed that we did not complete our mission in Gabon by winning the final, we are consoled, however, that we were able to qualify for the World Cup, which was our primary mission, and I assure all that the team will deliver when we go to India.
“We will improve upon our performance and I hope we have the best of preparations so as to improve upon whatever we achieved in Gabon,” Coach Fabin told the Daily Graphic. Despite missing the chance to lift the trophy, the Starlets were given a rousing welcome at the Kotoka International Airport as scores of fans and family members turned out to welcome their heroes, a situation that almost turned emotional for some of the boys and technical team
Addressing the media later, coach Fabian said, "We are honoured by this welcome because we were not expecting it and we thank the government and the GFA for their support throughout the tournament”. The skipper of the side, Eric Ayiah, said he was hopeful of an improved performance at the world stage as they had learnt their lessons at the continental stage.
The leader of delegation and chairman of the Black Starlets Management Committee, Kweku Eyiah, thanked Ghanaians for their immense support for the team throughout the tournament and pledged to work tirelessly to ensure that the team achieved their best when they competed at the World Championship.
The Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Pius Hadzide, expressed his excitement about the team's performance at the competition and described them as heroes despite their failure to win the trophy. He urged them to take the opportunities at international platforms like the World Cup when they participate in October in order to make the country proud.
For his part, the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi, noted that his outfit was proud of the Starlets’ performance and was looking forward to an improved performance at the World Cup later this year.