Amajimbos squad is taking shape

A total of 32 players have been called up by Amajimbos interim coach Vela Khumalo as he prepares to select a squad to represent the country at the Under-17 Cosafa men’s championships in Malawi.

The national Under-17 team have been drawn in Group A alongside hosts Malawi, Zambia, and eSwatini at the tournament, which starts on October 11.

With the team already in camp, Khumalo is pleased that every player he called up has made themselves available.

And he explained that he has called up players as young as 14-years old because he is already building for the future.

However, Khumalo will have to trim down his squad to 20 players who will travel to Malawi on Wednesday.

“It is good news that all the players we have called up have reported for national team camp, except for the three that will only be joining us later,” Khumalo was quoted as saying on the Safa website.

“We have in our squad Under-14s and Under-15s for this year’s edition, because we are building for next year’s Cosafa Under-17 tournament – this will double up as the 2021 Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, where the 2021 Fifa Under-17 World Cup participants will be decided.”

Khumalo is looking at using the Cosafa Cup as a gateway to familiarise the players with the rigours of international football, but adds that they also want to do well at the tournament.

“This year’s edition provides us with an opportunity to introduce our players to the demands of this tournament, while also carrying out our objective of doing well in every match we will be competing in.”

The South African Under-17 men’s team will kick off their campaign with a clash against the hosts on October 12, followed by a meeting with Zambia two days later.

Both matches will be played at the Mpira Stadium.

Amajimbos will then end the group phase with a clash against eSwatini at the Kamuzu Stadium on October 16.