Black Satellites head coach, Desmond Sakyi Ofei has expressed satisfaction with CAF U-20 Championship draw that was held yesterday in Cairo, and added they are ever ready eager to go far in the competition.
The Satellites have been drawn in Group A alongside hosts Cote D'Ivoire, Tanzania, DR Congo and another another team from UNIFFAC Zonal Union is expected to join.
Speaking in an interview with Flashscore, the young tactician exhibited readiness towards the upcoming competition and added his main motive is to secure qualification at the next FIFA U-20 World Cup.
“I think we are in a very good position, and I feel like if we prepare really well, we have everything in our own hands to go as far as possible. I'm really okay with the draw. The only unfortunate thing for me is that we are in a group of five, so I think you have to play an extra game, which was an issue in the WAFU qualifications, where we had to play one more game than Nigeria, and we felt it in the final.
“But in this case, we are in a good position. We just have to make sure we manage the whole situation well and have a really strong bench so that when we rotate with these kinds of games, then we can have the upper hand. We can't wait for the tournament to start, because we only have one target, which is a qualification to the World Cup,” he added.
The Black Satellites are making a return to the tournament for the first time since 2021, where they were crowned champions.
Meanwhile, Group B houses West African powerhouse Nigeria, Morocco and Egypt from North Africa and South Africa.
Reigning champions Senegal, Zambia, Kenya and Sierra Leone make up Group C of the tournament.
The tournament will see 13 teams compete from 26 April – 18 May, 2025, with the top four nations to qualify for the 2025 FIFA Under-20 World Cup that will be staged in Chile from 27 September-19 October, 2025.
