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Everything in life should be built on a foundation that can sustain it for generations to come.This isnt different from football and it’s running.There should always be an engine that controls the machines for effective and efficient delivery.
Women’s football in Ghana saw the light in the latter part of the 90s when the Black Queens qualified for the 1990 women’s world cup in USA. The Likes of Mercy Tagoe, who is the current coach of the Black Queens played a pivotal role at the heart of defence. Alberta Sackey, who won the CAF AFRICAN WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR in 2003 formed a formidable partnership with Adjoa Bayor another CAF AFRICAN FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR.
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The likes of Elizabeth Addo, Memunatu Sulemana, Patience Sackey and Florence Okoe are all players that have written their names in the history books of women’s football in Ghana.
Also, Madam Habiba Atta, Robert Duncan, Ben Hassan and a host of others have played pivotal role in the establishment and sustainability of women’s football in Ghana.
But after establishing a team, there is the need to find someone who can unearth great talents and build them into international stars and clearly one name that comes to mind is YUSSIF BASIGI.
Coach Basigi entered into professional coaching in 2004 when Mr Ben Hassan called him to help run newly formed Sekondi Hasaacas Ladies.
As the saying goes, ‘THE BEST COMES FROM THE WEST’, Yussif relished the opportunities at Hasaacas Ladies and that took the chance just as it was presented.
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A teacher by profession, Yusif Bisigi built a formidable Diabene Senior High School Ladies team that had the stars like Samira Suleiman, Janet Egyir, Jennifer Cudjoe, Linda Eshun and Elizabeth Cudjoe.
The star-studded Diabene SHS team dominated the inter-schools and colleges for years making them the best until Yussif Basigi’s exit.
During his time as a Physical Education teacher, Basigi was able to combine his teaching and coaching soo well that in basic school games, he was able to go and scout talents for Diabene Senior High School. He was later named the Western Region Ladies Team Coach and conquered the Regional games on several occasions.
Even when he was pushed to the Education Office,Yusif Basigi will find time to coach the selected players to represent both the zones and the region.
Passion they say is the ‘Driver of Dreams’, Yusif Basigi’s passion for women’s football pushed him into undertaking coaching courses with his own hard earned money. He travelled around the world having attachments under top European coaches and building himself up for the toughest test on his career.
With his desire to help develop women footballers from a raw talent to top Professionals, he had to move to UK, Denmark, Serbia, Germany just to get himself abreast with the modern trend and the technicalities in handling women. This has manifested in his work at the developing stage of the national teams.
Yusif Basigi has coached at every stage of the National teams in Ghana. Currently, he’s the head coach of the Black Princesses.
Notwithstanding, he has qualified the Black Maidens and The Black Princesses to the World cup making him the only coach to have done that in the history of Ghana’s women football.
Yusif Basigi lead the Black Queens to a fantastic run at the the 2016 African Women’s Championship, winning Gold in Cameroon and being the only coach in recent times to do so.
Labelled as a father for all the ladies, coach Basigi has mentored a lot of young and talented footballers into becoming top professionals, plying their trade in Europe. The likes of Enerstina Abambila, Lily Niber Lawrence, Samira Suleman, Linda Eshun, Jennifer Cudjoe are few of his handiworks.
He has been invited by top clubs in Europe to help assist them and also coach their teams to win major laurels.
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In 2017, the enterprising gaffer was signed up by Sebian giant ZFK Napredak Krusevac to assist them same as German outfit ATS Bententor, based in Bremen who invited him for an attachment in 2018.
On the local terrain, coach Basigi holds the record as the most successful coach of the National Women’s League, winning the competition three(3) consecutive times with Sekondi Hasaacas Ladies since its inception in 2012 before Ampem Darkoa came in to win the last two in 2017 and 2018.
During the Normalization process in Ghana football, Yusif Basigi again led Hasaacas Ladies to clinch the Normalization Committee Women’s Special Competition in 2019.
Currently in the ongoing National Women’s Premier League, Yusif Basigi’s Hasaacas Ladies are leading the Southern Zone, going unbeaten in their last five matches, conceding just a goal.
The Hasaacas Ladies team also boast of best attackers and defensive set up in the league.
Striker, Milot Abena Pokua has scored 10 goals with 6 assists, earning a nomination for the Nasco Player of the month of February 2020.
Doris Boaduwaa has aslo netted 9 goals with 10 assist making her the most exciting talent thus far coupled with a nomination for for Nasco player of the Month February and a call up to the Black Princesses team all in her first season in the Women’s Premier League.
With all these and the success the Hasaacas Ladies team is amassing clearly defines coach Yusif Basigi as the best in the domestic league and deserves to win the coach of the month for February 2020 after recording 5 wins from 5, scoring 23 goals and conceding just 1.
If indeed there is a person who has given life to Ghana’s women’s football since 2004, then coach Yusif Basigi is that great personality.
Story By: Solomon Amankwah
