Egypt Sports Minister Charges Young Pharaohs To Win 2023 AFCON U20

Egypt Sports Minister Charges Young Pharaohs To Win 2023 AFCON U20 

Ibraheem Lateef Ayodele

Ashraf Sobhi, Minister of Youth and Sports has charged Egypt Young Pharaohs to win the 2023 AFCON U20 championship.

Draw for the championship had Egypt in a tough pairing against Mozambique, Senegal and Nigeria who have won the tournament for a record seven times in Group A.

Egypt hosts the U20 African Nations Cup, which will be held at three stadiums in Cairo and Alexandria, and the Suez Canal Authority in Ismailia.

Sobhi who visited the camp of the Young Pharaohs recently was received by Gamal Allam, President of the Egyptian Football Association.

The Minister called on the players to focus fully during the current period of their training, pointing to coordination with the Football Association to provide all the required training needs for them.

Sobhi stressed everyone's support for the youth team to achieve the desired goals and results, calling on the players to do their best to raise the championship cup that is held in the land of Egypt, especially since there is nothing to prevent winning it at all.

For his part, Gamal Allam stressed in his speech the full support of the Football Association Board of Directors for the youth team and meeting all its needs to make the Egyptian fans happy, crown the African title and qualify for the World Cup.

Allam urged the players to do their best to seize the opportunity and hold the tournament in Egypt, to win the title and realize the dream of playing in the World Cup.

In the same context, Mahmoud Jaber, the coach of the youth team, thanked and appreciated the Minister of Youth and Sports, the President of the Football Association and all members of the Council for their meeting with the players, expressing his happiness with this great interest in the team and the cooperation, commitment and interdependence of the players, in pursuit of winning the African Nations Championship.

The tournament also doubled as the African qualifiers for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Indonesia. The top four teams qualified for the World Cup.

Ghana were the defending champions, having won their 4th title in 2021, but will not defend the title after failing to qualify for the tournament.