Aaron Mokoena outlines importance of winning COSAFA Championship
South Africa Under-17 coach Aaron Mokoena has outlined the importance of Amajimbos winning the 2022 COSAFA Championship, set to be hosted in Lilongwe, Malawi next month.
Winning the tournament will boost the confidence of Amajimbos going forward as they will be guaranteed for a spot in the Under-17 Africa Cup on Nations [AFCON].
“This tournament is quite important because once we win this tournament it’s a automatic qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations,” Mokoena told FARPost.
“At the moment, we are sitting with 20 players that we think they have what it takes to win the tournament.”
SELECTION HEADACHE FOR MOKOENA
Mokoena continued: “The players that we selected we think are good enough to be here and can get us further in the tournament, hopefully win the tournament.
“Quite talented players that we have, we could have more than 20 players if it was for us.
“But the regulations of COSAFA and SASCOC [don’t allow us],” added Mokoena, who remains the most capped Bafana Bafana player with 109 games.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup Bafana captain, Mokoena further revealed the challenged they faced as coaches when they were assembling the squad.
“We feel good. This is our third camp. The first camp we had to actually cut down players from 162 to 20 players which was difficult for us as coaches because we believe good players should play for the national team,” he said.
“For us it was quite a mountain to climb to cut down kids more specially the U/17s what so you say to them.
“Unfortunately, that’s what we needed to do because the COSAFA Cup it’s a totally different cup. It’s a cup that only needs 20 players,” concluded the former Cape Town City assistant coach, Mokoena.
The tournament kicks off from December 1st to 12th.
And Amajimbos are in the same group with Angola and Mauritius.
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