Young Warriors for COSAFA

ZIMBABWE Under-17 team will be part of the 2018 COSAFA Under-17 Championships in Mauritius from July 19-29.

Team coach Tafadzwa Mashiri will use the Copa Coca-Cola as part of the process to select his team.

Zimbabwe did not enter the qualifiers for the continental competition in four editions but returned to compete in the COSAFA competition last year.

Moses Chunga guided the Young Warriors last year.

His experimental side lost all their three Group A games, including a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Malawi.

Chunga said he did not choose a team that was meant to win the tournament but one that could expose teenager footballers to the challenges of international football.

The coach is a strong critic of players who involve themselves in age-cheating exercises and has always said he would prefer to lose with footballers, who are of the correct age, than win with those whose ages have been altered.

Champions Zambia have run into trouble in the past because some of their players have been found to have altered their ages.

Chunga chose players from a number of schools.

Fixtures

20/07: Zimbabwe v Swaziland (Auguste Vollaire Stadium, 12h30), 23/07:Zimbabwe v Malawi (St Francois Xavier Stadium 12h00), 25/07: Zimbabwe v Angola (St Francois Xavier Stadium 15h30).