Sports
Is this the Starlets team we’ve been waiting for?
• Players and officials of Starlets celebrating their victory after the tournament
After many years in the doldrums, Ghana’s Under-17 team, Black Starlets, on Tuesday, emerged winners of the UEFA Under-16 Development Tournament hosted by Serbia – producing a super-stellar performance that gives a lot of hope for the nation’s football, heading into the future.
The two-time world champions stormed into the competition with a 4-0 whitewashing of hosts Serbia before staging a valiant, doughty-charactered win against Spain with nine boys – after suffering two expulsions in the second stanza.
A brace from Benjamin Tsivanyo and Peter Hammond’s spectacular strike ensured the Starlets recorded a 3-2 victory over the startled Spaniards in a fiery evening of end-to-end football. The game, according to reports, was comparable to a World Cup finale.
Remarkably, the Starlets entertained their Swiss opponents in the final game, edging them 3-2 in another captivating session on Tuesday, to dazzle away with the trophy at stake.
Could this be the Starlets team that Ghanaians have been waiting for?
As we laud the boys for their wonderful piece of football, it is also imperative to congratulate the technical handlers of the team led by Coach Karim Zito for carving out that performance.
Years back, the Starlets brought the nation an extreme transport of delight with their captivating brand of football – endearing themselves even to people who do not really love football. They became a house-hold name.
Indeed, in 1991 (Italy) and 1995 (Ecuador), they conquered the world at the FIFA U-17 World Cup tournament – having also been losing finalists in both 1993 (Japan) and 1997 (Egypt) in the same campaign – aside a third-place finish in New Zealand, 1999.
Also at the continental front, the Starlets have been two-time winners in 1995 and 1999, aside from two runners-up and third-place finishes.
In fact, in those days, the national cadet team was anybody’s sure bet at tournaments – and no one got it wrong because the team was destined to deliver. Then, like a bolt from the blue, everybody took their eyes off the nation’s pride and the team that produced the golden generation of the likes of Daniel Addo, Samuel Osei Kuffuor, Nii Odartey Lamptey, Mohammed Gargo, Emmanuel Duah, Isaac Asare, Joseph Fameye, Awudu Isaka, Christian Sabah and Stephen Appiah, to name but a few, began to stagger and slump into near obscurity.
Indeed, back in 2014, the Starlets were banned from the 2015 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations after being found guilty of age cheating in a qualifier against Cameroon, with the central Africans replacing Ghana at the tournament held in Niger. That was how low the Starlets embarrassingly slumped!
The performance of the team in Serbia, therefore, gives Ghanaians a lot of hope, believing it is a harbinger of bigger and better things to come.
This time around, it is the expectation of many that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and those who matter in the scheme of things, will not switch off their ‘engine’ but work their tails off in a bid to build the Starlets into a ferociously winsome outfit – capable of conquering the sub-region, Africa and the world.
By John Vigah
Ghana will face Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia and Somalia in Group C of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The draw was held on Tuesday in Cairo, where African nations learned their routes to the continental tournament.
Two teams will qualify from each of the 12 groups of four for the finals. The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda — the first East African co-hosting arrangement in the competition’s history.
Ghana head into the qualifiers targeting one of the two slots from Group C after missing out on the previous edition in Morocco.
Qualifying schedule:
Matchdays 1 & 2: September 21 – October 6, 2026
Matchdays 3 & 4: November 9 – 17, 2026
Matchdays 5 & 6: March 22 – 30, 2027
Black Stars assistant coach Roger De Sá says joining Carlos Queiroz’s technical team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was a no-brainer.
Speaking on Beyond The Whistle, the South African revealed Queiroz’s call was no surprise given their long-standing relationship and shared ambition.
“The call from Carlos did not surprise me. We have similar dreams and I always want to see him succeed,” De Sá said.
For the experienced coach, Ghana’s pedigree made the decision easy.
“Being called to assist Carlos was not difficult. This is Ghana and it’s the World Cup we are talking about,” he stated.
De Sá recalled the moment Queiroz rang: “It was an exciting 3am call. I told my wife first and, as custom, she said, ‘We are leaving.’ I replied, ‘Let’s go!’”
He praised Queiroz’s collaborative style: “Carlos listens. He doesn’t have to take every opinion, but he welcomes different views.”
Back in Africa, De Sá said the feeling was special. “It’s great to be back. Africa is not a place, it’s a feeling.”
The former Bafana Bafana assistant was full of praise for Ghana’s talent pool.
“There is so much natural talent in Ghana despite limited resources. As an African football lover, the talent here is unbelievable. You guys don’t know what you have with limited facilities and infrastructure,” he said.
Comparing both nations, De Sá noted: “We in South Africa have talent too, but a different kind with all the facilities. Yet we don’t go forward with our talent.”
Ahead of the World Cup, he believes the Black Stars only need unity.
“We are not going to teach them how to play. We have the players. We only have to put them in the right position, with the right frame of mind, and when they put on the jersey, they should perform.”
De Sá assured Ghanaians of the technical team’s commitment.
“We are here to do our best and make Ghanaians happy. If Carlos does his job, there is none better than him,” he said.
“We will pick our targets as they come. If our players play to their abilities, we have a realistic chance to progress,” he concluded.
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