Alhaji Righteous De Ambitious: World Cup 2010 Blog: Burkina Faso wins U-17 African Championship

Sunday, January 23, 2011

World Cup 2010 Blog: Burkina Faso wins U-17 African Championship

Burkina Faso wins U-17 African Championship

Posted: 22 Jan 2011 10:15 AM PST

When you think of African football, a few nations come to mind first. Nigeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Togo, etc. One that would come much later down that list for most of us is Burkina Faso. The senior side has never reached a World Cup, and aside from a 4th place finish in 1998, have never gotten past the first round of the African Cup of Nations. But today was Burkina Faso’s day to shine, as they claim their second-ever youth title, the 2011 African U-17 Championships. They previously won the African U-20s in 2003.

Burkina Faso won it 2-1 over Rwanda, who would also seem to be a surprise entry in the final, but who had the advantage of being hosts. Their goals came from Zaniou Sana and Kabore Abdoul Aziz. Congratulations to them – they have to be feeling great about their footballing future today.