The under-20 female national team of Ghana, the Black Princesses, have arrived in Colombia ahead of the 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.
The team led by coaches and management touched down in Bogota on Wednesday and was warmly welcomed by officials at the El Dorado International Airport.
Earlier on Monday, the GFA President and Minister for Youth and Sports interacted with players and officials at a farewell dinner at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra.
The Minister, Mr Mustapha Ussif, reiterated the government’s continuous support to the team as they embark on the long journey to Colombia.
“On behalf of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, I am here to bid you a hopeful farewell as you embark on this journey to represent the entire country. I’m here to just also give you an assurance that the entire government is behind you.
Everything that we are supposed to put in place, you can testify that we have done that beautifully. We took action when we had difficulties during your camp in Cape Coast to ensure that your stay there became very successful,” he added.
The GFA President, Simeon-Okraku expressed optimism about the prospects of the team citing the presence of top talents in the team and the good preparation the team has done ahead of the global game.
“I am happy to be here, finally, to see our beautiful Princesses in your last moments here in Ghana before you depart our beautiful shores to fly to Colombia, not only to represent but to compete and to be competitive through the tournament. I’m saying this based on my conviction that we have a good collection of top talents for this age category.
“I trust the technical team that we have. I would want to believe that they are doing whatever it takes to get the team ready. When we appear on the turf for our first game, that will be our seventh time appearing at the U-20 World Cup. The seventh consecutive time. What that means is that we are a force already. Our challenge now is to make the biggest impact ever,” he stated.
Mr Simeon-Okraku tasked the team to maintain a high level of work ethic to deliver success for the country and break new ground in the tournament after six previous unsuccessful attempts to advance beyond the group stage.
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will kick off in Columbia from Saturday the 31st of August to Sunday the 22nd of September, 2024.
Ghana have been drawn in Group E alongside Japan, Austria and New Zealand. The team will engage in a couple of international friendly matches before the tournament officially kicks off on the 31st of August, 2024.
The Black Princesses will open their campaign against Austria on the 2nd of September, 2024 before taking on Japan and New Zealand in the other Group E matches.
Priscilla Osei-Wusu Nimako, ISD
