The Black Princesses of Ghana are geared up to break their long-standing jinx of not making it to the knockout stage of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, as expressed by their head coach, Yussif Basigi.
At a recent media briefing held on July 22, 2024, at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Basigi emphasized the team’s determination and hard work towards achieving this goal. He acknowledged the team’s past struggles, particularly during the 2018 World Cup, which coincided with a period of administrative normalization, affecting their performance.
However, Basigi is optimistic about the team’s chances this time around.
“In my case I will say it was unfortunate that we went for the World Cup that is 2018. That was the time of the expose normalisation so things were not normalised as we went there,” he said.
“I wouldn’t say that is an excuse though this time round we are motivated to go again and make a make because we are all looking forward to breaking that jinx. So we have made the girls aware just as we the technical staff are also aware,” he added.
Ghana will face stiff competition in Group E, having been drawn against former World champions Japan, Austria, and New Zealand.
The 11th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is set to take place in Colombia from August 31 to September 22, 2024.
