Danny’s grand hopes falter
Just days after SA Football Association president Danny Jordaan had trumpeted the junior national teams’ ability to qualify for major tournaments‚ the U17 side have fallen short of their goal of reaching the continental finals.
South Africa lost 1-0 to Angola in the final of the 2018 Cosafa U17 Championships on Sunday in a game in which they failed to create much in the way of attacking opportunities.
Angola now move forward to represent the Southern African region at the 2019 African U17 Championships in Tanzania‚ which in terms serves as a qualifier for the World Cup in this age-group to be hosted by Peru.
For South Africa that dream is now over and they must start rebuilding.
Coach Molefi Ntseki, though, says he remains pleased with the progress that has been made and conveyor-belt of talent he has been able to provide for Thabo Senong’s U20 side.
“It is a disappointment‚ but life goes on‚” a disappoited Ntseki said.
“For us as a country‚ we must look forward and correct some of the experiences that we came up against in this tournament.
“The players tried very hard and did their best‚ but this is the third time unlucky for us as an U17 team.”
Ntseki says it is gratifying to see the players that he took to the 2015 U17 World Cup in Chile now making the step-up in the next age-group level.
That includes helping South Africa to beat Malawi and qualify for the African U20 Championship in Niger next year.
“Ever since I started as the U17 coach we have been doing well‚ with the team preparation and having gone to the World Cup” he said.
“70% of those boys who went to the World Cup [in 2015] are now playing for the U20 national team.
“And 20% of the players who were here last year [at the Cosafa tournament] played a leading role against Malawi‚ one of them‚ Thabiso Monyane‚ even scored.
“It is a good conveyor-belt in terms of us unearthing talent in the U17 level‚ developing them and placing them in the U20.
“The future looks very good for us in terms of what we have in the U17.
“It was just unfortunate for us not to have won this match and potentially going forward to Peru‚ because for us that was the ultimate [goal].” —