WAFU A | Girls
Scan Aid Secondary School
Brufut, Gambia
Scan Aid Secondary School has long been an advocate for physical health among young girls in Gambia and as such has previously partnered with the World Health Organisation and their 'Move for Health Initiative', so it is no surprise they have strong sports programme at the school.
The school came into being in 2004 through the support of Norwegian Scan-Aid International with the primary objective to enable students resident in Brufut and the surrounds access senior secondary school education. Their victory at the WAFU A zonal qualifiers drew acclaim from within the country, not least Gambia Football Federation Lamin Kabba Bajo, who hosted the team at Football House in Kanifing to congratulate the players.
They beat College Fo De Fissa of Guinea 2-1 to make it a perfect start to the zonal finals in Cape Verde. The Gambians left it late to secure the victory with a last-gasp winner to undo the Guineans, who had levelled the score after they were behind.
Scan Aid left the best for last on day one as they thrashed Senegal's Cem Amadou Ba Sampathe 7-0 to register the biggest victory of the tournament.
They registered their third victory in the round robin phase with a straightforward 3-0 victory over Escola Secundaria Jose Augusto Pinto of host Cape Verde. They saw off the challenge of Ecole Congresso de Cassaga of Guinea-Bissau in the final match to book a continental ticket unbeaten with a full haul of 12 points.
Scan Aid's Kaddy Camara was named Best Player at the zonal finals and will be one to watch in Durban.
Complexe Scolaire Ben Sekou Sylla | Boys
Coyah, Guinea
Complexe Scolaire Ben Sekou Sylla from Guinea came out on top in the boys' competition at the WAFU A zonal qualifiers but not without having to fight their way to the top.
They beat Lycee Koutal of Senegal 1-0 in their opening game, before a 3-2 success against Escola Secundaria Jose Augusto Pinto of hosts Cape Verde.
A dominant 5-0 success over Mauritanian side Moctar Hamidoune followed to qualify the team for the final as their power and skill proved too much for their opponents. It would prove a bruising affair against New Yundum from Gambia in the final, which was a game that provided huge entertainment but surprisingly no goals.
Both sides had big chances to win the game but failed to come up with the decisive goal, which sent the tie to penalties. It was the side from Guinea who held their nerve as they triumphed 4-2 on spot-kicks to book their place in the continental decider.
Amara Keita deservedly won Best Player in the competition for Complexe Scolaire Ben Sekou Sylla, who will be eager to showcase their west African flair in Durban and take the continental crown.
West African Football Union B | Boys
Sainte Rita General Education College
Cotonou, Benin
The Sainte Rita General Education College came through the tough WAFU B qualifiers in west Africa, beating CES Fan of Niger 2-1 in the finals tournament that was played in the Cote d'Ivoire capital of Abidjan.
It was a hard-fought set of qualifiers for the boys, that pushed them to the very limit, but they excelled to claim the honours and book their place at the continental showpiece event. They had a clean sweep of the zonal qualifier awards too as Arouna Nazirou claimed the Best Player prize, while Junior Hondoka won the Golden Boot with his four goals and Lucien Nonhouegnon took home the Best Goalkeeper trophy.
The school in the Benin capital Cotonou, which was opened in 1971, is massive, with some 3,001 students (including 1,414 boys) aged 11-15, and a further 1,145 students (557 boys) in the higher education cycle aged 14-17.
Not surprisingly then the school has produced a number of former Benin internationals, Fernando Jonhson, Abel Quenum, Tranquilain Bovis and Henri Fanteclounou.
And they are coached by another former Benin international in Sévérin Danha, who was recruited by the Ministry of Sports to be a sports class supervisor at CEG Sainte Rita. The school has benefitted from the introduction of sports classes in public colleges by the Beninese government, and in turn boosted by the deployment of supervisors from the Ministry of Youth and Sports to improve the performance of these youth.
It is in this context that Sainte Rita's U15 boys team became champions in their local championship, going on to become national champions too, which is how they booked their ticket to the zonal finals in Abidjan.
The team trains three times a week and had special camps during the recent school holidays from February 17-27.
General Education College Colby | Girls
Colby, Benin
CEG Colby won the girls' competition in the WAFU B zone as they beat off challengers from five other countries to claim the prize and earn their place in the continental phase.
The zonal finals were played in the Cote d'Ivoire capital of Abidjan and there was some fierce competition among the teams, and no shortage of outstanding talent.
Teams from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger and Togo made up the field, and it was a tight contest all the way, but CEG Colby showed they had the qualities to shine and took the title.
They came up against CES Fan of Niger in the semifinals and claimed a comprehensive 7-0 victory, to showcase their scoring prowess, which will be so important in Durban.
That set up a final meeting with Ecole Chonvigny B of Burkina Faso in a bruising final.
The teams played to a 1-1 draw in an end-to-end contest, which eventually went to penalties.
Then it became a battle of nerves and the CEG Colby kept theirs as they triumphed 5-4 on penalties to make history and become the first zonal winners of the competition from WAFU B.
It also meant a Benin 'double' after CEG Sainte Rita won the boys' competition as well. That speaks volumes for the strength of junior football in Benin.
Sainte Rita General Education College | Boys
Cotonou, Benin
The Sainte Rita General Education College came through the tough WAFU B qualifiers in west Africa, beating CES Fan of Niger 2-1 in the finals tournament that was played in the Cote d'Ivoire capital of Abidjan.
It was a hard-fought set of qualifiers for the boys, that pushed them to the very limit, but they excelled to claim the honours and book their place at the continental showpiece event.
They had a clean sweep of the zonal qualifier awards too as Arouna Nazirou claimed the Best Player prize, while Junior Hondoka won the Golden Boot with his four goals and Lucien Nonhouegnon took home the Best Goalkeeper gong.
The school in the Benin capital Cotonou, which was opened in 1971, is massive, with some 3,001 students (including 1,414 boys) aged 11-15, and a further 1,145 students (557 boys) in the higher education cycle aged 14-17.
Not surprisingly then the school has produced a number of former Benin internationals, Fernando Jonhson, Abel Quenum, Tranquilain Bovis and Henri Fanteclounou. And they are coached by another former Benin international in Sévérin Danha, who was recruited by the Ministry of Sports to be a sports class supervisor at CEG Sainte Rita.
The school has benefitted from the introduction of sports classes in public colleges by the Beninese government, and in turn boosted by the deployment of supervisors from the Ministry of Youth and Sports to improve the performance of these youth. It is in this context that Sainte Rita's U15 boys team became champions in their local championship, going on to become national champions too, which is how they booked their ticket to the zonal finals in Abidjan.
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The team trains three times a week and had special camps during the recent school holidays from February 17-27.
General Education College Colby | Girls
Colby, Benin
CEG Colby won the girls' competition in the WAFU B zone as they beat off challengers from five other countries to claim the prize and earn their place in the continental phase.
The zonal finals were played in the Cote d'Ivoire capital of Abidjan and there was some fierce competition among the teams, and no shortage of outstanding talent.
Teams from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger and Togo made up the field, and it was a tight contest all the way, but CEG Colby showed they had the qualities to shine and took the title.
They came up against CES Fan of Niger in the semifinals and claimed a comprehensive 7-0 victory, to showcase their scoring prowess, which will be so important in Durban.
That set up a final meeting with Ecole Chonvigny B of Burkina Faso in a bruising final.
The teams played to a 1-1 draw in an end-to-end contest, which eventually went to penalties.
Then it became a battle of nerves and the CEG Colby kept theirs as they triumphed 5-4 on penalties to make history and become the first zonal winners of the competition from WAFU B.
It also meant a Benin 'double' after CEG Sainte Rita won the boys' competition as well. That speaks volumes for the strength of junior football in Benin.
