Mdaka confirms key players for South Africa’s COSAFA U20 title defence

South Africa U20 head coach Raymond Mdaka is preparing to finalise a 23-man squad for this week’s COSAFA U20 Championship in Mozambique, with Amajita aiming to retain their title and secure a place at next year’s U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

South Africa won the COSAFA competition in Mozambique two years ago and will return seeking another regional triumph. Qualification for the AFCON is also at stake, with Mdaka’s side hoping to defend the continental title they won for the first time at the next tournament.

The coach has managed to bring in several important members of the previous Amajita team, although he has not been able to call on every player he wanted.

“We could not get Fletcher, but we managed to get Lazola Maku who played all the games last season. We are waiting on Madiba from Brazil and he’ll hopefully arrive tomorrow. We also have a few players from the PSL teams, but we couldn’t get a number of players who are playing in the NFD. We are making arrangements with other players who we feel will be key,” Mdaka said.

The tournament runs from the 18th until the 28th of this month. Its timing, three days before the international break begins and with the competition ending while the break is still under way, has enabled the coach to reach an agreement with Cape Town City over the availability of Emille Witbooi.

The midfielder is expected to join the squad for the second group match against Angola and remain with the team for the rest of the competition.

“We had some discussions with Cape Town City and we made them understand our programmes so that we can be able to help each other. We agreed that for a player of Witbooi’s quality not to play the U20 tournaments could be a big issue,” Mdaka said.

South Africa have been drawn alongside Lesotho, Angola and Eswatini. The three group winners and the best runner-up will progress to the semi-finals.

Only the two finalists will qualify for the U20 AFCON. Mdaka says Amajita will approach every match with the same level of importance, though he expects Angola to provide their most difficult test in the group stage.

Lazola Maku will captain the side after recently returning from successful trials in Austria. He was part of the Amajita team that won the previous U20 AFCON and also represented South Africa at the U20 World Cup.