{"id":401234,"date":"2018-02-14T11:35:34","date_gmt":"2018-02-14T11:35:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=401234"},"modified":"2018-02-14T11:35:34","modified_gmt":"2018-02-14T11:35:34","slug":"wafu-womens-football-tournament-great-queens-article","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2018\/02\/wafu-womens-football-tournament-great-queens-article\/","title":{"rendered":"WAFU Women\u2019s Football Tournament is great for the Queens [Article]"},"content":{"rendered":"

Freelance sports journalist, Akosua Addai Amoo, believes that the WAFU Zone B Women\u2019s Tournament is perfect for the Black Queens\u2019 ambitions of conquering Africa later this year in the African\u2019s Women\u2019s Cup of Nations.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

10 years ago, on the 7th of February Ghana (host nation) bowed out of the African Cup of Nations to Cameroon in the semis.<\/p>\n

You could hear a pin drop in Accra and and by extension, the whole country as the Cameroonians advanced to the final of the 2008 Afcon.<\/p>\n

The dream of a \u2018host and win\u2019 was shattered and the then 26-year wait for a title counting. The count is still on.<\/p>\n

In November this year, Ghana will host the entire of Africa again but this time, for the Women\u2019s Afcon known as the Awcon.<\/p>\n

It will be the first time the West African country is hosting the women\u2019s football tournament. The agenda of a \u2018host-and-win\u2019 is clearly on the mind of all and sundry.<\/p>\n

In Africa, Ghana is a powerhouse when it comes to Women\u2019s football ranking and the general belief is that the nation is the 2nd best on the continent. They are only bettered by their huge nemesis Nigeria to whom they lost in three Women\u2019s AFCON finals (1998,2002 and 2006).<\/p>\n

The Black Queens are yet to win the AWCON trophy but they can count on the history that favours host nations.<\/p>\n

Nigeria\u2019s success in 1991, 1995, 1998, 2002, and 2006 all came at home while Equatorial Guinea\u2019s two titles in 2008 and 2012 were won before their home crowd.<\/p>\n

That should serve as enough inspiration to the Black Queens later this year but that will be challenging looking at the context of the women\u2019s game in Africa.<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s football is run a bit differently on the continent as compared to the men\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

The system of a women\u2019s league is now gaining grounds in Africa and international friendlies aren\u2019t frequent or sometimes non-existent.<\/p>\n

The road to a first Afcon title for Ghana will prove a tough nut to crack with teams like Nigeria,Cameroon all posing a threat to Ghana\u2019s goal.<\/p>\n

However, the Wafu tournament will be a silver lining for the Black Queens since it offers a nearly foolproof way of gauging the team\u2019s level.<\/p>\n

The 2018 Wafu Zone B tournament assures Ghana of at least three matches.<\/p>\n

As a host nation, Ghana will not be playing in the qualifiers hence it gives the Black Queens technical team led by a former Black Queens player Mercy Tagoe Quarcoo a chance to assess the team\u2019s weaknesses and strengths.<\/p>\n

The competitive nature and physical toughness from some of the teams will give the technical handlers a fair idea of where the team ahead of the AWCON tournament in November.<\/p>\n

In Group A, Ghana will be playing against the host nation Ivory Coast.The Ivorians made it to the last World Cup in 2015 and were actually the only African team to move past the group stages.<\/p>\n

Although Burkina Faso and Niger may not be considered as power houses in women\u2019s soccer the physical and athletic nature of these teams would be a great test for the Black Queens.<\/p>\n

The possibility of facing Nigeria,is probably one great aspect of the tournament for the Black Queens.<\/p>\n

Nigeria\u2019s new coach Tomas Dennerby has downplayed the expectations from Super Falcons.<\/p>\n

However a Ghana-Nigeria tie is all sorts of tantalizing on any day and should the clash happen it could give an opportunity for Ghana to identify dennerby\u2019s tactical position.<\/p>\n

Although the Swedish Coach opted for a youthful squad with the absence of star names like Asisat Oshoala and Esther\u00a0Sunday,\u00a0the encounter will still prove useful for the Black Queens in November when the Awcon tournament kicks off.<\/p>\n

There is a new technical team in place for the Black Queens following a reshuffle in 2017.<\/p>\n

The Wafu tournament gives the technical team the chance to gel and start preparations from scratch.<\/p>\n

The departure of Didi Dramani as head coach means Mercy Tagoe Quarcoo will be the interim coach for the Queens.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s performance at the regional competition if great could be a persuasive factor for her to get the jobs for keeps.<\/p>\n

The 2018 Wafu Zone B tournament, which is an inaugural edition, provides the team a good stepping stone for Ghana\u2019s host and win ambitions for the 2018 AWCON.<\/p>\n

They better take it.<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

Akosua Addai Amoo is a Sports Broadcast Journalist.You can follow her @akosuaamoo on twitter<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Freelance sports journalist, Akosua Addai Amoo, believes that the WAFU Zone B Women\u2019s Tournament is perfect for the Black Queens\u2019 ambitions of conquering Africa later this year in the African\u2019s Women\u2019s Cup of Nations.\u00a0 10 years ago, on the 7th of February Ghana (host nation) bowed out of the African Cup of Nations to Cameroon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":401235,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[374],"tags":[1479],"yoast_head":"\nWAFU Women\u2019s Football Tournament is great for the Queens [Article] - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. 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