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Young Warriors in Cosafa draw

Sport
THE national Under-20 boys team will today know their opponents in the Cosafa U-20 Youth Championships to be staged later this year when the draw is conducted in Lesotho this morning.

THE national Under-20 boys team will today know their opponents in the Cosafa U-20 Youth Championships to be staged later this year when the draw is conducted in Lesotho this morning.

BY HENRY MHARA

The annual tournament, which is seen as key to the future development of football in the Cosafa region, would be held in Lesotho from December 3-14.

Zimbabwe, Angola, Botswana, Madagascar, Mozambique, Seychelles, Swaziland, Zambia, South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho all beat last Friday’s deadline to submit their entries for the prestigious tourney, while Malawi have tentatively expressed their desire to compete.

That means only Comoros Islands and Mauritius are the only two countries from the Cosafa region that would not participate in this year’s edition.

The Cosafa executive have said should the two Island nations decide against competing, East Africa side Kenya have requested they be allowed to send a team and will as such complete the field.

This year’s tournament will be played across two venues in Maseru and Mafeteng with a round robin group stage featuring four pools.

The top team in each group will advance to the semi-finals, after which the tournament switches to a knockout format.

Zambia are the current holders of the tournament, having triumphed in the previous event staged in Botswana in 2011.

Players born on or after January 1, 1994, are eligible to compete in what the organisers have said will be a fantastic celebration of the region’s young talent.

The Cosafa Under-20 Youth Championships has been played in various guises since 1983, with Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa the dominant forces in the region.

A number of the region’s top stars including Warriors midfielders Ovidy Karuru, Ronald Chitiyo and Kudakwashe Mahachi have cut their teeth at this tournament, which has served as an excellent stepping stone from junior football into the professional ranks.