Zimbabwe to host CAF African Schools Football Champs COSAFA qualifiers
Only months after FIFA lifted its ban on Zimbabwe and gave the country the green light to once again participate in international competition, the southern African nation is set to host the CAF African Schools Football Championship, COSAFA Qualifiers, from the 14th to the 16th of December.
In a big boost for Zimbabwean football, FIFA lifted its suspension just in time for the World Cup qualifiers, and that move also paved the way for the 2nd edition of the CAF African Schools Championship, COSAFA qualifiers to be hosted in the country.
Zimbabwe had been removed from international competition as a result of alleged government interference in the running of the Zimbabwe Football Association.
FIFA vigorously enforces its rule against governmental interference in the beautiful game and rejects any attempts at the sport being used as a political tool.
Now the stage is set for Zimbabwe to host the most competitive schools’ football competition on the African continent.
In the inaugural season of the CAF African Schools Championship, over 400 000 boys and 20 000 girls from across the continent did battle to secure a place in the competition’s final in Durban in April. There, Fountain Gate of Tanzania and Ben Sekou of Guinea were crowned the boys’ and girls’ champions respectively,
COSAFA has since revealed that the competition is getting bigger and better every year, and the qualifiers for this year’s u15 edition have just been announced. Eleven COSAFA members will be sending boys’ and girls’ teams to compete in the competition with the hope of making it to the continental finals in 2024.
The field will be bolstered by teams from Angola and Botswana, as well as sides from Madagascar and Malawi. They’ll be joined by representatives from Mozambique and Namibia.
This marks a big leap forward from the first edition of the event, which was held in Malawi last October, where South Africa’s Edendale Technical won the girls’ competition, which consisted of just six teams.
The draw for December’s matches will be held in Harare shortly before the event kicks off.
Media Statement from the COSAFA President, President Artur de Almeida e Silva
COSAFA President Artur de Almeida e Silva said the competition will be a major stepping stone for those boys and girls who dream of playing football professionally. “This is much more than a schools’ competition. It is a first introduction to international football for the vast majority of these players,” he said. “The u15 age group category is a crucial one and gives these young players a taste of what it takes to challenge their peers in the region.
“We applaud CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe for his vision in introducing this vital competition and will build on the success of the last competition, where we also were honoured to host the continental finals.
“We wish all the competing teams the best of luck and thank the Zimbabwe Football Association for agreeing to play host this year, and all other stakeholders involved.”
Zimbabwe Football Association Chairperson Lincoln Mutasa said the country is ready to welcome all the teams to Harare.
“We are delighted to be back competing on the international scene again,” he stated. “We couldn’t ask for a better way to start the new chapter than to host the CAF African Schools Football Championship | COSAFA Qualifier, Zimbabwe 2023.
“School-going boys and girls are the bedrock of our vision to create competitive generational teams. We are grateful to CAF and COSAFA for giving us the honour to host the second edition.
“This tournament gives a lot of football stakeholders encouragement that indeed our football is on the right development track. The participants will be better footballers after the competition, because previously they had no opportunity to play competitive national team games.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime for us as a country, for our boys and girls who did not participate in the inaugural edition. After this tournament, we are confident that everyone will begin to treasure schools’’ football because it has great possibilities for the young boys and girls who previously did not have opportunities to play competitive matches.”