Accra (Greater Accra) 22 Feb.?99

President Jerry John Rawlings yesterday opened the eleventh African under-20 soccer championships at the rehabilitated 42- capacity Accra Sports Stadium in Accra. President Rawlings said "I would have wished Ghana to represent Africa in the World championship but let me say the best team represents the continent".

Earlier, nearly 400 Ghanaian artists from 17 cultural groups had put up splendid performances to bring to the fore, the rich Ghanaian cultural heritage. Among thousands of soccer loving people, who watched the groups perform, were President Rawlings, Vice-President Professor John Evans Atta Mills and CAF president Alhaji Issah Hayatou.

The stadium was decorated with red, gold and green balloons and the national flags of all the eight participating teams, Ghana, Mali, Cameroon and Angola in Group A in Accra and Nigeria, Guinea, Zambia, and Malawi in Group B in Kumasi.

The games' mascot, "Agoro Nana", meaning (Chief of the game), clad in Kente cloth and carrying three footballs, was carried in a palanquin under an umbrella. The tournament is to select four countries including Nigeria, host of next April world FIFA/Coca Cola U-20 championships, to represent the continent in the tournament.

In the case of Nigeria qualifying for the semi-finals, there will be a play off between the third teams in groups A and B to determine the fourth team. Fifty accredited sports journalists and cameramen from various African countries are covering the 15-day championships