Ouagadougou: The Cadet Stallions of Burkina Faso made their triumphant return to Ouagadougou from the West African Union of Federations Zone B tournament for under-17s (UFOA-B) on Wednesday evening with their trophy, we noted .
The Minister in charge of sports, Dr. Boubakar Savadogo, who welcomed them at Ouagadougou international airport, praised the performance of these ‘football VDPs’, supervised by ‘generals of the discipline’.
‘Congratulations to the warriors, to the great champions that the generals supervised so that we could have these results. You created a boom in the hearts of the Burkinabè people. You have the congratulations of the President of Faso, Head of State, Captain Ibrahim Traoré. The Government is very proud of you, very proud of the young people, very proud of the management, very proud of the Federation, very proud of the supporters,’ declared the Minister of Sports, Youth and Employment, Dr. Boubakar Savadogo.
He was the captain of the Badra Ali Barro team, accompanied by his coach
Oscar Barro and the representative of the Burkinabè Football Federation (FBF) in charge of the training centers Papy Dagba who were the first to get off the plane to hand over the trophy to the president of the FBF Lazare Banssé who, in turn, presented it to the Minister of Sports Boubakar Sawadogo.
‘We are happy to have brought the trophy home,’ said Cadet Stallions captain Badra Ali Barro. For coach Oscar Barro, this result is the fruit of our good working conditions. ‘We worked in peace. We did this VDP work for the country which is going through a difficult situation,’ he insisted.
The president of the FBF Lazare welcomed the vision of the Minister of Sports who authorized the strengthening of the technical supervision of the team. ‘We are going to be part of this vision with the other categories to build the flagship team. I am delighted to have you as Minister of Sports. We will continue to work for more results,’ said Lazare Banssé.
Follow the example of the Cadet Stallions
Very satisfied with the
performance of the Cadet Stallions at this UFOA-B tournament, the Minister of Sports said that the team showed the way forward. ‘You have given an example and we will ensure that all categories can be inspired by it,’ he expressed, insisting that ‘the rebirth has begun, the refoundation has begun. Today is the UFOA-B Cup, tomorrow it will be the World Cup.’
To achieve these results is an obstacle course and Minister Savadogo reassures that all means will be made available to the team. “The path is long. From June we will draw up a preparation schedule for the CAN and the management must submit a program to us. We have to believe in our strengths. We will ensure that there is good preparation. After the CAN I am sure that we will qualify for the World Cup’, made it clear Minister Savadogo firmly believes in these young people and would like them to be seen internationally as soon as possible to be able to bring back laurels in Burkina Faso.
This is the first time that the Cadet Stallions have won the UFOA-B
tournament. In 2022 the team reached the final which they lost 1-2 to Nigeria. This time against the Eléphanteaux of Côte d’Ivoire, Oscar Barro’s team won 3-1 with a double from Achraf Tapsoba who was the top scorer of the tournament with 5 goals. The cadet stallions are qualified for the CAN in their Morocco 2025 category.
Source: Burkina Information Agency