AYC SEMI'S

   The stage is set for the African Youth Championship semi final contest.With World cup tickets secured, Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa and Ghana go for glory and prestige when they contest the semi finals of the 16th Edition of the AYC in Kigali, Rwanda Wednesday.

 In a Championship where the semi finalists were decided in a dramatic group final matches, none of the four teams got there easily and they had to brave the last day pressure to secure their semi final tickets.
 
The four semi finalists, join hosts Egypt to defend the African flag in the Under 20 FIFA World cup finals this year in Egypt this year.
 
South Africa came to Rwanda as underdogs, but their exciting and fairytale run has endeared them positively to the local spectators. South African coach Serame Letsoaka already satisfied with the World Cup ticket wants to confirm to the World that South African football is a live and full of potential as the Country seeks to bury the ghosts of the 2007-8 World cup and CAN failed campaign.
 
Now Letsoaka parades his troop against seasoned fighters Ghana who have had a fairly good run in this campaign. Like South Africa, Ghana under the hands of Sellar Tetteh, won two matches and drew one in their qualifying matches. The Ghana side also boasts of one of the most exciting ball players in the competition. The Ghana South African clash kicks off at 1400 hrs.
 
In a later semi final tie kicking off at 1745 hrs, Nigeria and Cameroon renew their rivalry with both coaches cautious in their comments. Ladan Bosso of Nigeria predicted an explosive showdown urging his side to show more team work.
 
"We are concetrating on building team work. This is very critical against a team like Cameroon. We have the players with all the skills, but cohesion and team work is very critical. Any match involving Cameroon and Nigeria is never easy," he said.
 
His Cameroonian counterpart Alain Wabo was also cautious, acknowledging that Nigeria are good fighters and that their confrontation is always tricky and demanding. "We have a good team and ofcourse Nigeria are also good. So the tie should be explosive."
 
Nigeria and Cameroon have engaged each other on many occasions and the AYC showdown should be appetising contest to behold.