Olympics ‘will open doors to bigger clubs and contracts’
Maritzburg United’s burgeoning young midfielder Deolin Mekoa has revealed why qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics has become such an obsession with the SA national U23 squad.
The South Africans take on Algeria in the semi-finals of the Eight Nations tournament at the Stade Leopold Senghor in Dakar, Senegal, tomorrow night (8.30pm, SA time) – and, at stake, is the first shot at qualifying for the Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil, next year.
In the other semi-final, Senegal are up against Nigeria.
The event serves as the continental qualifiers, with the top three countries assured of a place at the global sports spectacular. If the SA U23s lose to Algeria, they will have one last chance to qualify for Rio, in the third-place play-off on Saturday.
The South African youngsters, though, won’t lack for motivation. They can almost touch their Olympic dream.
“Qualifying for the Olympics means a lot to the players,” said 20-year-old Mekoa, who has sensationally risen to prominence at unfashionable PSL club Maritzburg this season.
“It will be great to qualify for Rio because it will open doors for many players to perhaps secure bigger clubs and contracts.
“We are playing on a big stage – and we are all aware of that this is perhaps the most important 90 minutes of our lives and careers. We have to go out there, fight for the flag and for ourselves… I believe we can do it.
“We have to win against Algeria and go directly into the final. The aim is not to settle for anything less. We should not even think that we have two chances of qualifying for Rio as that will put us under unnecessary pressure.
“Once we get the job done on Wednesday, we can then relax while we wait for the final… Anything less will make us very anxious and we might even lose focus.”
Mekoa is from Wentworth in Durban. Always showing great promise as a junior, he was taken in by the School of Excellence in Gauteng in 2009, an institution that has produced many a top South African footballer. On his return to Durban, he played at amateur level for Durban Classic and Young Cavaliers before landing a professional contract with Maritzburg.
In Algeria, the SA U23s face yet more opposition from north Africa. It’s become a bit of a regular occurrence. Before this Eight Nations event, South Africa played three friendlies against teams from the region – once against Egypt and twice against Tunisia. And, in last week’s final Group A fixture, they again came up against the tricky Tunisians, emerging victorious 1-0 to qualify for tomorrow’s semi-finals.
“The clash against Algeria gives us a chance to play another north African country,” said Mekoa.
“I think, based on results, that we carry a slight advantage, but we still have to work hard for the victory. We know it won’t come easy because the north Africans always fight until the final whistle.
“But the good thing is that we are peaking at the right time. Against Senegal in the opening match we had an off day, but we bounced back against Zambia. We also got the required result against Tunisia, which shows we are doing something right, and now we must continue. Algeria will be tough, but we are ready…”