Former Black Stars midfielder Emmanuel Agyeman-Badu has encouraged Ghana’s U-20 national team, the Black Satellites, to focus on qualifying for the upcoming U-20 World Cup.
The Black Satellites recently secured a spot in next year’s U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will also serve as the qualifying tournament for the U-20 World Cup in Chile.
Despite finishing second in the WAFU Zone B U-20 Championship after a narrow 2-1 loss to Nigeria, Agyeman-Badu believes the team should look ahead.
In an interview with 3Sports, Agyeman-Badu advised the team to prepare thoroughly for AFCON, with an eye on World Cup qualification.
“I wanted them to equal the record we set at our time when we won the WAFU Cup, AFCON and the World Cup. However, all is not lost. We will prepare very well for the AFCON so that we can qualify for the World Cup,” he added.
The former Asante Kotoko midfielder praised the team’s resilience and performance.
“I was well impressed. I watched all their games. They have been doing well, they go down and fight back to win games. I know Desmond is a very good and intelligent coach.”
Ghana will aim to secure its fifth AFCON title next year and, hopefully, a spot in the World Cup tournament in Chile.