‘I believe we have selected a strong, quality squad and will be able to achieve our objectives,’ Amajita head coach Raymond Ndaka told Safa.net.
Kaizer Chiefs match-winner Mfundo Vilakazi has been included in the South Africa Under-20 (Amajita) squad for the Cosafa Under-20 Championships.
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The tournament will take place in Mozambique from September 25 to October 5.
Vilakazi’s brilliant goal on Saturday at the Free State Stadium gave Amakhosi a 2-1 win over Marumo Gallants, to get their Betway Premiership campaign off to a winning start.
Four other Chiefs players join Vilakazi
The 18 year-old Vilakazi is the highest profile Chiefs player in the squad, with goalkeeper Takalani Mazhamba and defenders Gopolang Taunyana and Sifiso Timba also included, along with midfielder Ofentse Kgosana.
The two finalists at the Cosafa Under-20 Championships will qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where the semifinalists will qualify for the 2025 Fifa Under-20 World Cup in Chile.
“Although some clubs failed to release the players we requested for this important tournament, I believe we have selected a strong, quality squad and will be able to achieve our objectives,” Amajita head coach Raymond Ndaka told Safa.net.
“We must go to the 2025 Under-20 Fifa World Cup and to do so, we need to be in the top two of the (Cosafa) Championships.
“We are grateful to all the clubs who have released their players and we will ensure that we accomplish the mission at hand.”
Chiefs have released Vilakazi, but there is no obligation
Clubs are not obliged to release their players as this competition does not fall on an official Fifa date.
Former SuperSport United winger Shandre Campbell, who now plays for Club Brugge’s youth academy in Belgium, is also included, as is Cape Town City’s 16 year-old prodigy Emile Witbooi.
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City’s 18 year-old winger Shakeel April is also included, while apart from Campbell, the only other overseas-based player in the squad is goalkeeper Fletcher Smythe-Lowe.
The 17 year-old Lowe plays for the Under-19’s at Portuguese side Estoril, who he joined this season from Benfica’s Under-17 team.
Amajita’s first match of the Cosafa Championships will be against Malawi on September 27, and they will then face Lesotho on September 29 before finishing off the group stages against Comoros on October 1.
There are three groups of four teams at the tournament with the winners of each group qualifying for the semifinals, along with one best-runner up.
