You cannot expect much from a team that had barely two years to prepare ahead of a competition. However, together with his assistant coach Augustin Evans Adotey, Mas-Ud Dramani succeeded in forming a solid Ghana U-17 squad. The Black Maidens of Ghana showcased a remarkable amount of skill and drive to finish third at the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup hosted in Azerbaijan. The likes of Jane Ayieyam, Sherifatu Sumaila and skipper Priscilla Okyere played a huge role on the road to bronze. Above all, it was the power of spiritual unity that got Ghana’s U-17 Women’s World Cup squad – made of Christians and Muslims – this far, according to manager Dramani. In an interview carried out by AIPS Young Reporter Angela Asante on 8 October 2012, the Black Maidens coach explained where his team’s momentum came from during the youth tournament. Angela Asante: How many Christians and Muslims is your team made of? Coach Dramani: I think it’s divided in terms of denomination. We have Christians and Muslims. The number is well matched. At least nine are Muslims and the rest are Christians. Angela Asante: And if I may ask, what is your faith? Coach Dramani: I am Muslim. Angela Asante: Due to the Islamic and Christian faith in your team, are Fridays and Sundays special? Do you do special prayer sessions on those sacred days? Coach Dramani: Yes. But for us, every day is special when it comes to our spiritual position. Every day, in my program, I put in place what I call the ‘pastoral and philosophy development session’. It is a period when I meet the players and try to talk to them as a parent because they are without their parents; so we assume the position of parents. We talk with them about how to live: how to live after football, how to live during football, how to try and build their own philosophy and how to carry themselves as females and footballers. And besides all this, we still have our pastoral sessions. We pick up a topic. If it’s in Islam, we discuss it. If it’s in Christianity, we discuss it. My assistant is a very devoted Christian and he has a lot of knowledge regarding the Bible. So when we pick up a topic, we talks about it from a Christian point of view and I talk about it generally and from an Islamic angle. Angela Asante: What is a typical prayer session like? Coach Dramani: A typical prayer session is just a moment when you think that you devote yourself into the hands of God and that you believe that he supersedes everything. You’ll see that everybody is in a solemn mood. Everybody becomes so spiritual and so motivated to being closer to God. At the end, we see ourselves as one people with one aim. Angela Asante: Did you bring a pastor or an imam along with you? Coach Dramani: Not at all. I think that, for us, an imam should be somebody who is a leader. Once you are a leader and you have that charisma, you will be able to let your people know how they have to behave. Angela Asante: So in other words, you act as the imam and your assistant coach acts as the pastor? Coach Dramani: Yes. Angela Asante: Is there any particular song or speech that you listen to get motivated before a match? Coach Dramani: Yeah. Before every match, I play the Holy Quran. I have it on my iPad. I just keep playing the Quran recitation. Then I become so motivated and I know that everything is a done deal. Angela Asante: Thank you very much, coach Mas-Ud Dramani. All the best! Ghana started their 2012 FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign on a bad note, losing 2-1 to Germany. They bounced back with 5-0 and 2-0 wins over Uruguay and China respectively. In the quarter-finals, they pulled off a huge shock by ousting title favourites Japan on a 1-0 score line. The Black Maidens’ semi-final story was rather sour, though. A disappointing defensive performance saw them lose 2-0 against eventual champions France. In the Third-place final match, the Ghanaians met Germany for the second time in the competition. Having learnt from their opening match defeat as well as their red card blow in the semis, the Black Maidens went on to triumph in great fashion. The game at the Tofig Bahramov Stadium revealed the best of Dramani’s coaching skill as the 10-man Ghana overcame serious injuries to beat Germany 1-0. For the fans back home and the whole of Africa, the Black Maidens’ bronze medals achievement will remain an element of pride in women’s football.