18 January 2019 – South Africa’s National Under-20 (Amajita) held their first training session at Ingwenyama Lodge in White River, Mpumalanga on Thursday.

Amajita are in camp preparing for the upcoming Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations which will run from 2 – 17 February 2019 in Niger.

The junior continental tournament will also serve as a 2019 FIFA Under-20 World Cup tournament qualifier, which will take place from 23 May – 15 June in Poland.

A top four finish in Niger will see Amajita qualifying for the global showpiece for the second time in a row, after having done so back in 2017.

Amajita coach Thabo Senong said he was pleased with how the session went, adding that his charges are responding well to the way he wants them to apply themselves in game situations.

“I’m very happy with how our first session went here in Mpumalanga,” Senong said. “The boys were fully focussed and grasped every bit of information we imparted on them. And that is very good because team chemistry is very important if you are to get the best out of your players.

“We worked on a few tactical plays and you could tell by how they were training that they are willing to learn and improve from the level they are currently in.

Senong added: “They really want to do well in the upcoming tournament and that is the kind if positive attitude we want from them.”

Amajita are in Group A alongside hosts Niger, Burundi and Nigeria.

They will play their first match of the tournament on 2 February against the hosts.