Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi, Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE has pledged to deliver a flawless tournament when Harare stages the TotalEnergies Caf Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations | Cosafa Qualifier from September 11–20.
Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Anselem Sanyatwe yesterday assured that Government is fully behind Zifa as the country prepares to welcome 11 visiting nations. He visited the Young Warriors camp at Eaglesvale School to check on their readiness.
“We should give them the highest standard of hospitality. We are known as Zimbabwe to receive, look after and also send off our guests. But I do promise them that all has been put in place, arrangements, co-ordination, liaison with the stakeholders are and is going on to ensure that we look after all the teams that are coming,” said Sanyatwe.
He added: “I am reliably informed that we will have about 11 teams coming to participate from the region. From the office this morning, I was being briefed by the chairman of Zifa that all is in place.”
Zimbabwe will host the event for the first time, with Mozambique, Comoros, Eswatini, Zambia, South Africa, Madagascar, Malawi, Angola, Botswana, Mauritius and Lesotho also in the draw. Teams are expected to start arriving this Saturday ahead of the opening games next Tuesday at Ngoni Stadium in Norton and The Heart Stadium in Waterfalls, both approved by Cosafa.
Sanyatwe said his visit was also about morale. He took time to talk directly to the players about their welfare and their mission.
“My coming here is for me to satisfy myself and check for myself other than receiving reports on the state of preparedness of our team, the Under-17. I have checked with the boys, they are quite happy with their meals, everything, accommodation, you name it. And so, we have no reason for them to fail to make the nation proud,” he said.
The Minister challenged the team to emulate the Sables, who recently lifted the Africa Cup in Uganda and qualified for the Rugby World Cup.
“I personally met with them, talked to the young boys and hopefully we have all the reason to promise the nation that the boys are going to perform to our expectations and do like what our rugby team did in Uganda,” Sanyatwe said.
Zifa president Nqobile Magwizi welcomed the Government’s commitment, describing it as timely reassurance.
“It was very important for the Minister to see for himself that indeed there is an Under-17 squad in camp going through their paces and of course getting ready for the tournament which will start in earnest,” said Magwizi.
He confirmed that logistics were largely in place. “We have our local organising committee chaired by Professor Thomas Marambanyika, who are doing a sterling job. Most of the logistical matters have been taken care of. We have two hotels that already have signed up in terms of accommodating our guests. We have two of the stadiums that have already been approved by Cosafa for use for this tournament. So, logistically there are a few loose ends we are just tying down, but I think mostly the organisation is really up to speed and we are ready to start the tournament.”
On the pitch, coach Thulani Sibanda and his technical team have been fine tuning a squad selected after a nationwide scouting exercise. The process saw 48 players called up, including six from South Africa, one from Hong Kong, and Leeds United prodigy Takudzwa Chinyowa from England.
The squad was trimmed to 30 last week, but three were dropped after failing MRI age tests, leaving 27 in camp. Tournament rules require a final list of 25.
“Cosafa is one of the regions that is very strict in ensuring that whoever is going to represent their country must be of that age and they will use MRI,” said Magwizi.
“Now if a boy is almost 17, the MRI is going to read it as 17; they are no longer under 17. So, it’s a scientific process. If you are 16 and a half, the MRI will probably read you as under 17. But if you are only a few weeks before turning 17, chances are it’s going to read you as 17 and then ineligible. That is very unfortunate for our boys. There are a few that have not made it and had to leave camp, which is very unfortunate for them. But of course, those are the rules. We cannot change them. We are just the hosts, the administrators of the tournament are Cosafa, and it’s our prerogative to follow what the rules say.”
The Cosafa Under-17 serves as a pathway to the CAF Under-17 AFCON and ultimately the FIFA Under-17 World Cup.
