Ntuthuko Maphumulo soccer
The gloom that characterised the past year for the South African soccer fraternity might finally be lifting. Last year the under-23 squad failed to lift Olympic gold; we lost the World Cup bid; lost the African women’s nation cup in a final marred by spectator violence in Vosloorus; and just 5 000 fans pitched up for the Bafana Bafana game against Liberia.
The disappointment continued this year as the under-17s failed to qualify for the youth championship to be held in Seychelles; world governing body Fifa fought shy of a firm commitment that the 2010 World Cup will come to Africa; and the country-versus-club issue hangs over top players. However, not all is lost as the under-20 team (Amajita) will be travelling to Ethiopia to represent the country in the African youth championship next month.
Amajita, who are on cloud nine after winning the Cosafa Cup last year, are already in training. Goalkeeper Chad Lee Harper, who plays for Leeds United’s youth team in England, has been added to the provisional squad.
Premier league teams have agreed to release players for a final acclimatisation training camp in Kenya, which has very similar weather to that in Ethiopia.
Team manager Sipho Nkumane said: “Amajita are fit enough to play in the tournament and hopefully they will bring back the cup.”
A Gauteng North invitational side was thrashed 5-0 by the under-20 team recently as part of the preparation for Ethiopia. The Amajita this week played one international friendly against Mali at Kanyamazane stadium in Nelspruit this week where they were dealt a 2-0 defeat. Nkumane said if the under-20 squad reaches the semifinal in the Africa youth championship they will qualify for the world youth championships to be held in Argentina in June. In Kenya, where their final training camp will be in Eldoret, they will play three matches against two of the local teams and the regional under-20 team.
Amajita coach Augusto Palacios said: “We are going for intense training in Kenya and not for a holiday.”
South Africa will be entering the African youth competition for the first time. The cup, which is contested every two years, began in 1979 and was won by Algeria. In 1997 Morocco were the victors and the defending champions from the last tournament in 1999 are Ghana.
There will be two groups in the tournament: group one, consisting of South Africa, Egypt, Cameroon and hosts Ethiopia, and group two, with Ghana, Mali, Angola and Nigeria.