Issah Abdul Rafiu apologises to Ghanaians after a 10-man Black Starlets fell 1-0 to Ivory Coast, ending their 2027 U17 AFCON hopes.
Ghana's dream of reaching the 2027 U17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco is over, and captain Issah Abdul Rafiu has stepped forward to say sorry. The Black Starlets went down 1-0 to Ivory Coast in the semi-finals of the 2026 WAFU Zone B U17 Championship, closing the door on a continental place.
Issah admitted the pain of the result was felt all the more because Ghana had begun the tournament so brightly. Speaking ahead of Friday's third-place play-off against hosts Burkina Faso, he asked supporters for forgiveness and promised the squad would not hang their heads.
"First of all, we want to send our apologies to Ghanaians for failing to qualify for the AFCON," he said. He added that the players would show up and fight for the bronze medal, and insisted that playing a man down was the reason they lost to Ivory Coast.
That numerical disadvantage came early. Defender Daniel Owusu was shown a straight red card in the 17th minute, forcing Ghana to spend most of a tightly contested semi-final with 10 men. The young Starlets battled, but could not find a way back against their West African rivals.
Now the focus shifts to salvaging pride. A win over Burkina Faso would not book a ticket to Morocco, but it would send Ghana's youngsters home with a medal and a response to the disappointment of the semi-final.
