What are Amajita’s chances in the Group of Death?
The draw for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) u17 Tournament and u20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) was held in Egypt on Thursday.
At the event, South Africa’s u17 and u20 national teams learned who they will face in their groups at the continental showpieces.
South Africa, the u20 Cosafa champions, known as Amajita, will face a tough challenge at the forthcoming u20 Afcon, which will be played in Côte d’Ivoire from 26 April to 18 May.
Amajita sealed their place at the tournament by putting together a clean record at the u20 Cosafa Championship in Maputo last October, where they finished a decisive 2-0 victory over Zambia in the final.
South Africa has been drawn in what has been termed “The Group of Death”, Group B. It also includes Egypt, Morocco, and Nigeria, all established powers of the game in Africa.
Raymond Mdaka, the Head Coach of Amajita, after seeing the draw, said he is confident that South Africa is ready to confront their group opponents.
“We long waited for the draw, just for us to know where we are, who we’re playing. We knew the teams that had already qualified for Afcon, but we wanted to check where we are, and we’ve seen the draw,” Mdaka said.
“I think all the teams, because they’ve qualified, need respect of some kind. We are fine with the group that we have. We’ll prepare ourselves and be ready to play.”
Group A features the hosts, Côte d’Ivoire, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Tanzania, and the winner of the Central African Football Federations’ Union 2 (UNIFFAC) tournament, which is currently underway. Group C includes Senegal, Zambia, Kenya, and Sierra Leone.
Vela Khumalo, the Head Coach of the South African u17 National Team, said his side had been drawn in a “very interesting group” for Afcon. South Africa is in Group B, where Amajimbos will tackle Burkina Faso, Egypt, and the winners of the ongoing UNIFFAC tournament in Central Africa.
The u17 Afcon tournament will be held in Morocco from 30 March to 19 April. It’s a competition that carries with it important consequences, with places at the 2025 FIFA u17 World Cup, which takes place in Qatar later this year, up for grabs.
Group A’s line-up includes Morocco, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia, while Group C is made up of Senegal, The Gambia, Somalia, and Tunisia.
