Under-23 Squad in Action
03 February 2010
The National Under 23 Men’s squad will be back in action for the African Nations Championship which takes place every two years. This tournament is a CAF initiative meant for senior national teams but only for players who ply their trade in their home leagues. The South African Football Association (SAFA) has decided to use the Under 23 squad for the tournament due to the tight fixture schedule of the Absa Premiership which provides most players.
“The main idea here is to develop players, to ready them for the rigours of international football. But since we can’t have all the players we want, we will have to mix with some players over the age of 23 who are not getting game time in their clubs – but only those who play in the country,” says stand-in coach and SAFA’s Technical Director Serame Letsoaka.
Letsoaka will be in charge of the side while SAFA is finalising the appointment of the National Under 23 Coach.
What compounds the team’s problem is that the PSL will have cup competition matches on the 14th of March – the same weekend when South Africa will be facing Botswana in Gaborone.
The team will hold their first camp from Sunday, 7 February to the 14th. The second will be held from 22-28 February. The last camp will start on the 5th up until match day on the 14th.
The return leg will be played a fortnight later (28th March) in South Africa at a venue still to be announced.
The winner between South African and Botswana will host Zambia on the 23rd of May, with the return leg scheduled for June 6th in Zambia.
The eventual winners from that match will qualify for the African Nations Championship to be held in Sudan in 2011.
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