27 July 2017 – The South African U17 Men’s National Team (Amajimbos) will take on tournament hosts Mauritius in the first semi final of the 2017 COSAFA U17 Championships, on Friday 28 July 2017 at 15H00 local time (SA time 13H00), at Stade Saint Francois Xavier.

Amajimbos progressed to the semi finals following an emphatic 5-3 win over Madagascar in their last group B match; while the Mauritians lost 2-0 to Malawi in their top of Group A clash.

Head Coach Molefi Ntseki expects a thrilling encounter as both teams have been banging in goals.

“I want to firstly congratulate the players for their strong character. We have had our fair share of challenges and they have dealt with situations very well. I know that for many of them this has been a first time experience and I am really proud of how they have managed to cope.

Tomorrow’s clash against the hosts will provide fireworks. We have done our homework on them and believe that we can win the game in open play. We have practiced penalty kicks however; I would prefer for us to win the match in the ninety minutes.

We will stick to our strengths and ensure that we continue using these matches to reach the objective we have set for ourselves as the technical team;”said Ntseki.