7 December 2018 – South Africa’s National Under-20 (Amajita) captain, Khulekani Kubheka, reckons that good communication from the back going into the final third, is what will help Amajita progress further in this year’s COSAFA Under-20 Championship.

This is the very same principle the COSAFA defending champions applied when they won last year’s edition right here in Kitwe, Zambia.

Amajita went through all of their group and knockout stage matches without a single defeat.

They only conceded three goals out of five matches played.

Kubheka, who featured in all group matches before he got suspended for their semi-final and final fixtures, stated that the brotherly bond and amount of trust they had for one another from last year’s edition, is still there.

Kubheka’ statement comes after having observed how his teammates protected him in their 5-0 win Group B fixture against Mauritius on 3 December 2018.

“The amount of trust and commitment you saw in that match comes from the brotherly bond we always work on in our preparation camps leading up to any tournament,” Kubheka said.

“That is very important because if you have that amount of love and respect for one another, then you would do everything in your power to protect and help your fellow teammate”

Amajita will face eSwatini in their final group match this Saturday (8 December 2018) at Nkana Stadium, and Kubheka said they have every intention of winning that match.

The game will kick-off at 13h00.

“Our focus is set on being ready for next year’s Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations. That tournament is only three months away now. Every game we play is very crucial because we have that 2019 FIFA Under-20 World Cup qualifying tournament to get ready for. We have every intention of fighting to go all the way to defend our COSAFA title” concluded the skipper.