By: Mohamed Abu Conteh
West Africa Football Union Tournament on 21st August 2022 reached its climax in Liberia Monrovia with Senegal becoming the new crown champions.
This year’s 2022 edition has seen Senegal crowned champions of the 2022 male tournament after defeating host Liberia 0-3 at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium, Monrovia.
The competition was anticipated to have seen nine WAFU Zone ‘A’ member nations namely:
Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal, Mali, Cape Verde, Mauritania, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, and Guinea, was narrowed down to four countries; Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Mauritania. Five countries failed to participate.
However, Mauritania withdrew from the tournament after they were dismantled by Leone Stars U15 6-0; whiles Liberia held Senegal to a 3-3 draw at the SKD Sports Complex on match day-one.
The latter withdrawal warranted the tournament’s Organizing Committee to do another draw for the remaining three countries.
Senegal played their first match with Sierra Leone in a redrawn fixture that saw the Leone stars being humbled by their Senegalese counterpart 3-1.
On match day two, Liberia played against Sierra Leone and won against the Leone stars U15 2-1.
A draw for Sierra Leone in that encounter would have put them in a better position for second place.
The newly crowned champions won all the individual awards:
Best Player of the tournament – MODY SY Highest Goal scorer of the tournament – SOULAYMANE of Golden Glove – ABDOU SALAM DIALLO
The highest Goal scorer award was a tie between Sierra Leone’s OSMAN MANSARAY and the SOULAYMANE DIOP with two goals each.
Souleymane eventually won it because he was the first to reach the two goals credit.
Despite coming second, Osman scored five goals for Sierra Leone in his debut for the junior category (three goals against Mauritania that were not counted and two against Senegal and Liberia respectively).
Senegal and Liberia will be representing WAFU Zone A in the next Africa Cup of Nations U-15 tournament to be hosted in Nigeria.
The Gambia will be hosting the 3rd edition of the 2023 U15 tournament.
Sierra Leone has learned its lessons in international competition key among them is putting together a Youth Football to operational starting from under 8,12,15, and 17 categories getting Academy for the different levels if they are getting right in their international stage.
