16 August 2019 – South Africa’s National Under-20 (Amajita) side arrived safe in the early hours of Friday morning in Rabat, Morocco following a 36-hour trip from South Africa, ahead of their first 2019 All Africa Games Group A fixture against the host.
The national juniors traveled to Morocco on Wednesday (14 August) night via Munich, Germany – where they had to catch a connecting flight.
Amajita’s interim coach Helman Mkhalele reported a clean bill of health ahead of today’s fixture, adding that his charges are raring to go.
Amajita will take on hosts, Morocco, this afternoon at the Stade Moulay Hassan at 17h00.
“We arrived here in the early hours of this morning and managed to get our players the needed rest ahead of today’s fixture,” Mkhalele said. “Our medical staff has been working around the clock together with the technical staff to ensure that our boys will be sharp and ready come kick-off time.
“Our role as coaches is to give our players as much exposure as possible to the pressure and demands that comes with being a professional athlete,” Mkhalele added. “Sometimes, it will be expected of you to hit the ground running and make the best of each situation like it is expected from them now. This is a good learning curve for them to learn how to quickly adapt, stay fully focused and perform as a collective.
“We are here to make our country proud by doing well in this tournament.”
Mkhalele also stated that he was expecting a tough fixture against the host, however, also believes his charges have just enough quality to match their today’s opponents.
“Playing against the hosts in the first match of any tournament is never easy for any side,” Mkhalele said. “However, we have prepared this Amajita team both physically and mentally and we are ready for our today’s opponents.
“We truly believe that our boys will respond positively against Morocco.”