The South African Football Association (SAFA) has finally announced the Amajimbos squad for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, following reports of confusion behind the scenes.
SAFA submitted the final squad list to FIFA on Monday before making it public, with the initial plan for the team to depart over the weekend.
However, those plans changed as the squad played friendly matches against Malawi and the Kaizer Chiefs DStv Diski Challenge team instead.
Amajimbos coach Vela Khumalo was also said to have delayed submitting his paperwork to SAFA amid rumours that he preferred to travel with the Chiefs DStv Diski team — the club side he also coaches — which is set to tour England next month.
That trip forms part of the PSL and MultiChoice initiative to reward the Amakhosi junior team after they won last season’s DStv Diski Challenge title.
Despite the friendly win over Chiefs, Khumalo appeared unimpressed with certain aspects of his team’s performance.
“Even though we played very, very well against Kaizer Chiefs, a strong DDC team that is going to Manchester, we cannot get carried away because we played well here. There are still certain things we need to work on,” he said.
The FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar will be staged from 3 to 27 November. Amajimbos were drawn in Group A alongside Bolivia, Italy, and hosts Qatar.
They will open their campaign against Bolivia on 3 November, face Qatar on 6 November, and conclude the group stage against Italy three days later.
“I think from what I’ve seen — and having followed Bolivia and the other teams — we stand a good chance of advancing from the group if we apply ourselves,” Khumalo added.
“We can get out of the group based on what I’ve seen. But you never know if those performances were a true reflection of the teams, or if they were still preparing. Honestly speaking, though, I believe we have a good chance.”
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!