Under-17 to take part in junior COSAFA tourney
Kabelo Boranabi | Wednesday June 14, 2017 16:51
Confirming the news to Mmegi Sport yesterday, BFA public relations officer, Tumo Mpatane said the association has already made strides in preparing for the regional tournament after appointing Extension Gunners’ Itumeleng ‘Tumie’ Duicker as the team head coach.
“It must be clear that the competition would provide a better platform for national team development. We have recently appointed a coach, Tumie, which is a clear indication of our plans.
We will soon outline the schedule for the preparation of the team,” he said. The BFA held the Inter Bloc competitions in April where a pool of players was selected to form part of the national team.
However, Mpatane said despite the Under-17 selection, Duckier would also be given a chance to select his final squad. “That is why we have such a tournament.
But he (Duicker) will look at the players selected and look at a possibility of choosing players outside the pool. We are doing a development programme that will help build a strong future national team,” Mpatane said.
The draw for the championships that was done in South Africa on Saturday has thrown up some captivating clashes. The sides have been split into two pools each containing four sides, with the top two advancing to the semifinals. With defending champions, Namibia deciding against participating this year, a new champion will be crowned.
The Young Zebras are in Group A where they face Mauritius, last year’s bronze medallist Malawi and old foes Zimbabwe.
Last year’s beaten finalists South Africa are in Group B, along with heavyweights Zambia, Mozambique and Madagascar. The tournament will kick off on July 21 and runs until July 30.
2017 COSAFA UNDER-17 CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW
Group A Mauritius Zimbabwe Botswana Malawi Group B South Africa Mozambique Zambia Madagascar