24 February 2021 – The draw for the 2021 U-17 AFCON which was held on Wednesday at the CAF Headquarters, saw South Africa U-17 team, Amajimbos drawn in what is definitely a Group of Death against a wholly West African opposition.
Amajimbos have been drawn against current African champions Cameroon, Senegal and Mali, and will play their matches in Morocco’s biggest city, Casablanca.
Tournament hosts Morocco are in Group A alongside Uganda, Zambia and Ivory Coast, while the highest ranked African side Nigeria will form part of Group B against Tanzania, Algeria and Congo.
The tournament will run from 13 – 31 March 2021.
Although the U-17 AFCON is normally used as a qualifier for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, this year’s Edition will be different due to the current world pandemic COVID-19. As a result, the world football governing body, FIFA has decided to cancel the World Cup tournament.
“I believe that this is the toughest group that will test our ability against countries with such great football history,”said Head Coach Vela Khumalo.
“Cameroon are the current title holders and we are fortunate to have their recordings of their build up to the AFCON. Senegal and Mali are very physical teams, which will force us to really work hard on our possession of the ball. However, we will continue studying the style of play now that the draw has been held.
‘’I am looking forward to the challenge and will ensure that we raise the country’s flag high,”concluded Khumalo.
Amajimbos will be reporting for their final home camp this Friday, 26 February 2021 before heading to Casablanca for their opening matches of the youth tournament.