MONROVIA, Montserrado – The Liberia Football Association has announced the date for the draw for the upcoming West Africa Football Union under-20 Nations Cup that is to be hosted in Liberia from the 24th of April to the 6th of May 2018.
According to a release by the Liberia Football Association via their official Facebook page on Tuesday, the draw for the youth tournament will take place on Tuesday, March 26 at the newly renovated Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville.
The release further said that the tournament will featured the WAFU members countries from Zone A. On the day of the draw, the secretary general of both WAFU Zones A and B will be in the country to participate in the process.
Gambia’s Jammeh E.K Bojang, who is the general secretary of WAFU Zone A, will be in the country along with Ankan Malan, the secretary general of Zone B, on Saturday, March 24 for the draw.
Countries expected to participate in the upcoming tournament are Liberia, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Mali, Cape Verde, and Mauritania.
It has been seven months since the end of local leagues and the date for the new season remains unknown. Without league games being played, there is no doubt that the selection of players will be a difficult task for Liberia’s U-20 head coach, Christopher Wreh, whose last games with the junior Lone Star team were in April 2016 against Guinea in the 2017 AFCON U-20 qualifiers. Wreh lost at home 2-0 before holding the Guineans to a 1-1 draw in the return leg in Conakry.
It will be the third time that Liberia will host an international football tournament. Liberia hosted the 1988 six-nation tournament that was won by the Black Stars of Ghana before a three-nation tournament was hosted in 2010 to commemorate Liberia’s 163rd independence celebration. The 2010 tournament, which was won by Ghana, was played between the host Liberia, neighboring Guinea, and Ghana at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.
Featured photo by T. Kla Wesley Jr.
