2020 COSAFA MEN'S UNDER-17 CHAMPIONSHIP guide

Nelson Mandela Bay November 19-29, 2020 [ messages ]

MESSAGE FROM COSAFA PRESIDENT DR PHILLIP CHIYANGWA

It gives us great pleasure to be able to host the COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay this year, the first time this beautiful city has staged our boys event in this age-group. It is the continuation of a wonderful partnership with the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality that has already seen us host our COSAFA Women’s Championship tournament in the Friendly City for the last three years, as well as the Women’s Under-20 and Under-17 competitions in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Now it is the turn of the boys, with the COSAFA Men’s Under-20 Championship also to be held at It is also pleasing to see that we are able to host the same venue from December 3-13 in what is a our age-group tournaments annually now, giving busy end to the year. junior players a vital chance to test themselves at Of course, we are just delighted to be staging the international level against their peers. any events at all in this most difficult of years After a period when this tournament was which has seen the COVID-19 pandemic wreak hosted sporadically, this will be the fifth year in a havoc with our football calendar. row it has been staged, in Mauritius from 2016- It is a testament to the willingness and foresight 2018, and last year in Malawi. of our partners in the Nelson Mandela Bay Our mandate at COSAFA is to develop the municipality, and the hard work of our team of game on and off the pitch and this experience organisers, that we will have staged four of our six for players, coaches, match officials and tournaments by the end of December, when just administrators will be invaluable in helping them a few months ago it looked as though we might gain knowledge and expertise. have none. It is by hosting and organising tournaments such Much planning has gone into these events, with as these that we see skills improve in all areas, as strict COVID-19 measures in place to safeguard there is nothing better than hands-on experience the players, technical teams, match officials and to gain knowledge. administrators. These measures are all part of the It will be fascinating to see who can claim the ‘new normal’ that we now live with. trophy this year with a fantastic field of teams, This 2020 COSAFA Men’s Under-17 tournament including defending champions Zambia. will have added significance of course as it serves I am sure the football will be entertaining and it as a zonal qualifier for the 2021 CAF Africa is always exciting to catch a glimpse of the stars of Under-17 Cup of Nations. tomorrow. The coveted regional trophy is enough of a prize We must extend our gratitude to the South to fight for, but there will now be the added carrot African Football Association, who will be our of continental qualification as well, with the two excellent hosts in Nelson Mandela Bay. teams that reach the final able to celebrate this SAFA has played a big role in helping us put on success. these four tournaments and we remain grateful We wish all the teams well in this regard and for their assistance in all aspects, including know that whoever does go on to represent this implementing their world-class COVID-19 safety region at the Afcon finals will do so with pride. measures. [ messages ]

MESSAGE FROM SAFA PRESIDENT DR DANNY JORDAAN

The COSAFA As we welcome the region junior tournaments. Men’s Under-17 to the Nelson Mandela Bay Once you have the basics Championship that will once more, I would like to right, the rest will take care of run from November 19-29 is urge all countries to seize this themselves. a vital competition on the CAF opportunity and build solid junior It is time Africa dominate calendar. sides to compete, not only on the the game and it starts with The tournament will now run continent but to make African development sides. as a zonal qualifier for the junior teams global giants again. I would like to take this CAF AFCON tournament. Of late, Africa has lagged opportunity to welcome The Nelson Mandela Bay has behind in almost all of the everyone including those running of late become the hub of most national teams and this was the competition. important football activities and underscored by all of the five I would also like to thank the the U17 tournament will be nations at the 2018 FIFA World NMB for their continued support followed by the U20 competition. Cup in Russia being eliminated in of the game because without For every national team to the first round. willing partners, the game won’t have sustainable success, it needs We need to do some soul progress to where we want it to have a solid junior side and the searching as a continent and the to be. u/17 forms this backbone. starting point definitely is the Good luck!

MESSAGE FROM NELSON MANDELA BAY MUNICIPALITY INTERIM EXECUTIVE MAYOR, CLLR THSONONO HOW TO FOLLOW THE BUYEYE 2020 COSAFA ACTION! There are a number of ways you can keep It gives me great Without question, we regard up with the action in the 2019 COSAFA pleasure to welcome the COSAFA as a crucial portal for the COSAFA Men’s Under-17 exposure and an opportunity to Women’s Championship and 2019 COSAFA Championship to the City of raise our public relations bar a Women’s Uncder-20 CHampionship! Nelson Mandela Bay. notch higher. We express our appreciation It is indeed an opportunity ❖ Go to our website: www.cosafa.com to the COSAFA, SAFA and for all of us to increase our partners for choosing the Nelson awareness of the magnitude of ❖ Follow us on Twitter: @COSAFAMEDIA Mandela Bay as host city for this junior soccer and knowledge exciting championships’, and of this event, whilst instilling ❖ for the hard work in making it a confidence and building positive Like our Facebook page: reality at a time when the world images to our public and the www.facebook.com/COSAFAMEDIA/ is devastated by the Covid-19 world. pandemic. As the Nelson Mandela Bay, ❖ Find us on Instagram: Given the fact that we are we are honoured to welcome the resuming all activities after COSAFA and all the participating www.instagram.com/cosafafootball/ such a big gap that we had to SADC nations to the city. We take in our sports, we do not urge you to spread the message ❖ Check us out on TikTok: @cosafamedia take lightly to the fact that by to your home public that we competing you still put your lives in the Nelson Mandela Bay are ❖ Head to COSAFA TV: www.cosafa.tv at risk every time you meet with most welcoming to our African people. brothers and sisters. HISTORY OF THE COSAFA MEN'S UNDER-17 CHAMPIONSHIP

Here is a look back 1994 2001 south africa MALAWI at the previous The first attempt at a regional Under-17 It would be another seven years tournaments played championship was played in South Africa in before the competition was staged 1994 and won by the hosts. again and this time it took place in since the first some They edged the likes of Zambia, Swaziland Malawi, with the cities of Blantyre and Malawi in the opening stage, as well as and Lilongwe playing host. 26 years ago. recording a 9-0 win over Namibia. Malawi ultimately triumphed as That set up a semifinal with Zimbabwe, they defeated South Africa 3-0 in the which was claimed 5-1 by the hosts, who decider for what should have been then defeated Mozambique 2-1 in the a fine new generation of players, decider. though only Moses Chavula and The South African side included a number Robert Ng’ambi truly went on to fulfil of players who would go on to have full their potential. international careers, including Delron A number of the South African Buckley, Steve Lekoelea and Wayne Roberts. players also did not make it despite But it was Junaid Hartley who proved a strong showing again, though the the star with hat-tricks against Namibia and team did include stalwarts Daine Klate Zimbabwe, as well as another goal in the and Lebogang Mokoena, who would final for a tournament tally of seven. go on to enjoy fruitful careers. 2002 2007 2016 SOUTH AFRICA NAMIBIA MAURITIUS The tournament returned to South Zimbabwe claimed their first title in this age- It would be a long nine- Africa the following year and for the group as they edged South Africa on penalties year wait for the next finals third time running it was the host in the final, winning 4-2 after a 1-1 draw. to be played and this time nation who lifted the trophy. They eased through the pool stages of the the competition was played This time round the competition competition, gaining wins over Angola (2-1) on the Indian Island nation of was played in a round-robin format and Eswatini (3-1), and ultimately sealed their Mauritius. with the four-team field made up of place in the knockout stages after 1-1 draw It proved a wonderful South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and with hosts Namibia. showcase of the skill among Swaziland. South Africa won both their games in a young players in the region The highlight of the competition three-team pool, beating Lesotho (5-0) and and was ultimately won by was a thrilling 5-4 victory over Mauritius (3-0), while Zambia edged Malawi to Namibia. Swaziland. top-spot in Group B but both teams qualified There was a level of Mokoena was again the star of the for the semifinals. controversy when Zambia, who show for the home side as he netted South Africa edged Malawi 1-0 in the Last had stormed through their six goals in the three matches played. 4 clash, while Zimbabwe needed penalties first round group with three South Africa won all three of their to see off old foe Zambia as they won 5-4 wins from three, and 10 goals games, while the other sides all following a 1-1 draw. scored and none conceded, finished on two points from three Archford Gutu scored in that game and were disqualified from the games. Swaziland claimed second would do so again in the final as Zimbabwe competition after being found place on goals scored. used a shoot-out once more to lift the title. guilty of fielding two over-age players. That meant Malawi and East African guest nation PAST FINALS Kenya advanced from Group B, while the top two sides in 1994 South Africa 2-1 Mozambique Group A were South Africa and Namibia. 2001 Malawi 3-0 South Africa The South Africans eased 2002 South Africa* past Kenya in the semifinals, and Namibia edged Malawi 6-5 2007 Zimbabwe (4) 1-1 (2) South Africa on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The final also ended 1-1 and 2016 Namibia (3) 1-1 (1) South Africa Namibia kept up their strong 2017 Zambia 3-0 Mauritius shoot-out record as they edged South Africa 3-1 on penalties. 2018 Angola 1-0 South Africa Malawi finished third with a 2-0 success over Kenya. 2019 Zambia 2-0 Mozambique Top-scorer in the *Tournament was played in a round-robin format that South Africa won competition was Malawi’s Peter Banda with five goals. GOLD SILVER BRONZE South Africa 1994, 2002 2001, 2007, 2016, 2018 Zambia 2017, 2019 1994, 2001, 2007 Malawi 2001 2016, 2017 Namibia 2016 2018 Angola 2018 2019 Zimbabwe 2007 Mozambique 1994, 2019 Mauritius 2017 Eswatini 2002 Botswana 2003

2017 2018 2019 MAURITIUS MAURITIUS MALAWI Zambia made up for their indiscretion the Angola claimed a first ever COSAFA trophy Zambia regained the trophy they had year before by storming to the 2017 title, in this age-group when they stormed to the given up the year before with another beating hosts Mauritius 3-0 in the final. 2018 title, boosted by the performance of dominant display in an eight-team The Young Chipolopolo started with a rising star Zito Luvumbo. competition in the Malawian city of bang, beating Madagascar 7-1 in their Group They took a full haul of nine points from Blantyre, which hosted a wonderful festival B opener as Lameck Banda and Martin their three pool games, defeating Malawi of football. Njobvu both scored hat-tricks, before they (1-0), Eswatini (5-0) and Zimbabwe (2-1) The Zambians served an early warning of edged old rivals South Africa 3-2 but then in a crunch group decider to show all their their quality as they stormed through the suffered a surprise 1-0 loss to Mozambique potential. pool stages, winning all three games and in their final pool game. Namibia topped their Group A following a scoring 16 goals in the process. They still managed to finish top of the three-way tie at the top between themselves, It includes huge wins over Eswatini (6-0) group on goal-difference, with South Africa Mauritius and Botswana, who all ended with and an unusually limp South Africa (7-0), as the runners-up. six points. well as victory against Malawi (3-2). Malawi stormed to the top of Group That meant the top position was decided Despite their big loss, Eswatini claimed A with three wins from three matches, on a head-to-head basis between the three, the runner-up spot in the pool as they beat including a handsome 5-0 win over with Namibia leading the way. Hosts Mauritius Malawi (2-1) and drew with South Africa Zimbabwe. In fact, they did not even also qualified for a rare semifinal at COSAFA (1-1). concede a goal. level by virtue of being the best runner-up Mozambique were winners of Group B, They were joined by Mauritius in the among the three pools. though defending champions Angola also semi-finals after the islanders recorded wins South Africa came through a tough Group advanced as runners-up. over Zimbabwe (1-0) and Botswana (2-1), B to top the pool as they defeated Zambia 2-1 Mozambique’s only blemish was a before losing their final game to Malawi. in what proved to be the decider in their final surprise 0-0 draw against Comoros Islands, The Malawians came unstuck in the semi- match, putting the defending champions out but they really sealed their pace with a 1-0 finals though as Zambia cruised to a 2-0 win, of the competition. win over Angola in their pool opener. while Mauritius defeated South Africa by the The South Africans would go on to beat The Angolans won their other two same scoreline in the other Last 4 game. Mauritius 2-0 in the semifinals, while Angola matches in the pool, though without the The result in the final might have been thumped Namibia 7-0 in the other match, flair of the year before. emphatic in Zambia’s favour, but it took Capita grabbing a hat-trick and Luvumbo Mozambique edged Eswatini 1-0 in the them until the 72nd minute to make the inevitably on the scoresheet. semifinals to seal a second ever place in the breakthrough as Prince Mumba netted the Namibia had some consolation with the final, some 25 years after their first in 1995. opener. That was followed by quick goals via bronze medal as they beat Mauritius 2-1 in Zambia defeated Angola 2-0 in their Christopher Phiri and Kingsley Hakwiya. the play-off. semifinal, before going on to claim the final Malawi finished third after they beat Capita was on target again as his early goal 2-0 as Rickson Ng’ambi and Joseph Banda South Africa 2-1 in the bronze-medal match. secured a 1-0 victory for Angola over South scored goals. Angola swept to the bronze Africa in the final. medal after a 5-0 success over Eswatini. teams

TEAM- BY-TEAM GUIDE ANGOLA BOTSWANA Eight nations will contest Angola were the title holders in the 2018 Botswana will make a return to COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championships after the COSAFA Men’s Under-17 the 2020 COSAFA Men’s they claimed the trophy with a 1-0 victory over Championship after missing out Under-17 Championships South Africa in the final. on last year’s tournament. and here is a team-by-team That qualified the side for the African Their journey began in Under-17 Championship where they took home 1994, but it proved a difficult guide to the field and their the bronze medal, though runners-up Guinea experience as the side lost al history in the prestigious later had their records expunged after being three games to Mozambique (1- found guilty of fielding two over-age players. 0), Zimbabwe (1-0) and Lesotho regional competition, which Angola therefore competed at the FIFA (3-1). this year also serves as a Under-17 World Cup in Brazil, their debut on They got their first win in the the global stage, where they made the second 2001 tournament, defeating zonal qualifier. round before losing 1-0 to South Korea. Mauritius 5-0, but a 2-0 defeat to Along the way they beat New Zealand and Malawi meant they exited at the Canada, both by 2-1 margins, but lost their first stage. final pool match 2-0 to Brazil. It was still an The team finished third at impressive debut. the 2002 event following a loss Angola have competed at the African to hosts South Africa (2-0) and Under-17 Championship on six occasions, draws with Eswatini 1-1 and with their bronze medal in 2019 heir best Lesotho (2-2). performance. They also exited in the group Their next showing in 2007 stages in 1997, 1999 and 2017. proved a chastening experience The team made their regional debut in the as they suffered heavy losses 2001 COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championships in both games, going down to but did not make it past the group stages, Malawi (6-1) and Zambia (8-0). while it was the same story in 2007 when they They did not feature in 2016, finished third in a four-team pool. but returned in 2017 and gained They beat Eswatini 3-1, but then lost to a second victory, this time against Zimbabwe and Namibia, both by 2-1 scorelines. Zimbabwe (2-1). But that was Angola did not return until 2018, when they after they lost to Malawi (2-0) breezed through the pool stages with wins over and hosts Mauritius (2-1). Malawi (1-0), Eswatini (4-0) and Zimbabwe (2- The side was desperately close 1), defeated Namibia 7-0 in the semifinals and to a semifinal place in 2018, then edged South Africa in the decider. losing out only on goal-difference They were back in 2019 and made a after three sides all finished on stuttering start, losing 1-0 to Mozambique in six points. their opener. But wins over Lesotho (3-1) and They beat Mauritius (1-0) Comoros (3-0) saw them into the semifinals, and Seychelles (2-1), but lost to where they lost to eventual winners Zambia Namibia (2-0) to end what was (2-0). still a successful tournament. They did take home the bronze medal though The team did not feature in the with a handsome 5-0 win over Eswatini. competition in Malawi in 2019. teams

COMOROS ESWATINI MALAWI ISLANDS Eswatini featured in the very Malawi have appeared in all but one of the eight previous Comoros made their debut first COSAFA Men’s Under-17 COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championships played and were at the 2019 COSAFA Men’s Championship in 1994, but did winners in 2001 as they lifted the trophy on home soil. Under-17 Championships in not make it past the group stages Their star of that competition was Robert Ng’ambi, who an attempt to develop a fresh despite a handy showing that would go on to have a superb career in South Africa and generation of youngsters to included a win and two draws in with the Malawi senior national team. bolster their senior national their four matches. Malawi breezed through their group on that occasion team. They did make the semifinals in with wins over Botswana (2-0) and Mauritius (4-0), before They showed their rich 2001, but lost 2-0 to South Africa defeating Zambia 5-4 in the semifinals. potential with four points and then went down by the same That set up a decider with South Africa and Malawi in the pool stages, though scoreline in the bronze-medal prevailed with a comfortable 3-0 scoreline to lift the trophy. it was not enough to gain a match to Zambia. They had missed out on a semifinal place in 1994 as they berth in the semifinals. Eswatini were back the next beat Namibia 4-0 and drew with Eswatini (1-1), but lost to They started with a 1-0 win year, gaining draws with Botswana Zambia (0-3) and South Africa (0-4). over Lesotho before a 0-0 (1-1) and Lesotho (0-0), but They skipped the 2002 tournament and reached the draw with Mozambique. They ended second in the four-team semifinals again in 2007. A 6-1 hammering of Botswana were denied a place in the mini-tournament after an epic 5-4 was followed by a 1-1 draw with Zambia in the pool stages, knockout stages after a 3-0 loss to eventual winners South before they beat Lesotho (4-0) to book their semifinal place. loss to Angola. Africa. There they lost 1-0 to South Africa, and by the same The country’s football is They finished bottom of their scoreline to Zambia in the bronze-medal match. on the rise at all levels and pool in 2007, despite a win over Malawi were semifinalists once more in 2016, beating having reached out to the Namibia (3-1), and did not take Madagascar (2-1) and Kenya (5-0) in the pool stages. Their diaspora in Europe to bolster part in the next event in 2016 that result against Zambia (0-3) was annulled after the latter the national team, they are came after a long lay-off for the were found guilty of fielding two over-age players. also eager to develop home- tournament. They were beaten by Namibia on penalties in the grown talent. They missed 2017 too, but semifinals after a 1-1 draw, but did pick up the bronze with There are a number of returned for the 2018 edition, a 2-0 win over Kenya. Comoros players at clubs claiming a pool stage win over It was a similar story in 2017 when they won all their in France, Belgium and the Zimbabwe (3-2), but losses to group games with victories over Botswana (2-0), Zimbabwe Scandinavian countries, and Angola (0-4) and Malawi (0-1) saw (5-0) and Mauritius (2-0), but then lost 2-0 to Zambia in the this COSAFA Men’s Under-17 them exit the competition early. Last 4. They again won bronze though with a 2-1 win over Championship will give scouts They managed four points South Africa. the opportunity to run their in 2019, enough to get into the Malawi beat Zimbabwe (5-0) and Eswatini (1-0) in the eye over more. knockout stages after a heavy loss pool stages in 2018, but a 1-0 loss to eventual champions Comoros have been a to eventual champions Zambia Angola meant they did not make the semifinals. COSAFA member since 2006 (6-0) was followed by a 2-1 win They also disappointed in 2019, despite a 3-0 victory over and have played in a number over Malawi and a 1-1 draw with South Africa in their opener. The side then lost to Eswatini of senior and age-group South Africa. (2-1) and Zambia (3-2) to exit in the first round. tournaments in the recent They narrowly lost 1-0 to Malawi have made one appearance at the African past. Mozambique in the semifinals, Under-17 Championships, which saw them finish fourth in They have never qualified but were then thumped 5-0 2009. for the continental or global by Angola in the bronze-medal That qualified them for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup that finals at this age-group level. match. year, where they lost all three of their games. teams

SOUTH AFRICA South Africa are the only country to them as tournament favourites. compete in every one of the eight This was doubly so when they beat previous COSAFA Men’s Under-17 East African guest nation Kenya 4-0 Championships and along with Zambia in the semifinals, but they were again are the only teams to lift the title twice, undone by penalties in the decider. though their last success came all the After a 1-1 draw with Namibia, they way back in 2002. lost 3-1 on spot-kicks to take home the They have appeared in six finals in silver. all – also a record – with the only time They were not as dominant in the they have not made the deciding match early stages of the 2017 finals as wins being in 2017. over Mozambique (3-1) and Madagascar South Africa lifted the inaugural (5-3) were either side of a 3-2 loss to trophy in 1994 when they beat Zambia. Mozambique 2-1 in the final with a They still did enough to move on to team that contained the likes of Delroy the next stage, where they lost to hosts Buckley, Steve Lekoelea and Junaid Mauritius in the semifinals, and then Hartley. Malawi in the bronze-medal match. A draw with Zambia in their opening The 2018 tournament saw them match was followed by wins over reach the final again, but it would see Eswatini (1-0) and Malawi (4-0), before them only claim silver. they thumped Zimbabwe 5-1 in the A draw with Lesotho (0-0) was semifinals and then delivered that followed by wins over Mozambique victory over Mozambique to seal gold. (4-1) and Zambia (2-1), after which they They could not defend their title in gained some revenge over Mauritius 2001 though as they slipped to a 3-0 with a 2-0 victory in the semifinals, but final loss to hosts Malawi, despite wins lost 1-0 to Angola in the decider for yet over Zimbabwe (1-0), Namibia (4-0) and another silver medal. Eswatini (2-0). A new team proved a disappointment They were back on top in a shortened, in 2019 though as losses to Malawi (3-0) four-team tournament a year later as and Zambia (7-0) ended their semifinal they again secured wins over Botswana hopes, before they finished with a 1-1 (2-0), Eswatini (5-4) and Lesotho (4-0). draw against Eswatini. The team breezed through the pool Given their resources, it is perhaps stages in 2007 as they claimed victories a surprise that South Africa have only over Lesotho (5-0) and Mauritius (3-0), appeared at the African Under-17 and then edged Malawi 1-0 in the Championships on three previous semifinals. occasions, with their best performance But following a 1-1 draw with a silver medal in 2015. Zimbabwe in the decider, they lost 4-2 They also finished fourth in 2005 and on post-match penalties. exited in the group stages in 2007. South Africa completed a full haul of Their only appearance at the FIFA nine points in the pool stages in 2016 as Under-17 World Cup was in Chile in wins over Seychelles (1-0), Namibia (4-0) 2015 when they went out in the first and Mauritius (2-0) quickly established round. teams

ZAMBIA ZIMBABWE Zambia have been regular participants in the COSAFA Men’s For all their prowess as a regional Under-17 Championships down the years, and are the powerhouse, Zimbabwe have defending champions after claiming the title in Malawi last only made the final of the COSAFA year, their second in the regional championship. Men’s Under-17 Championship on They picked up a bronze in their first appearance in 1994, one occasion, when they lifted the defeating Namibia (5-0) and Malawi (3-0) in the pool stages trophy in 2007. to go with draws against South Africa (1-1) and Eswatini They reached the semifinals in (0-0). 1994 after starting with a 0-0 draw They came unstuck in the semifinals though after a 2-1 against Lesotho, but following that loss to Mozambique, but rallied to beat Zimbabwe 1-0 in the up with a win over Botswana (1-0) third-place play-off. and a draw with Mozambique (2-2), They played just a single pool game in 2001, a 3-0 victory which proved enough. over Lesotho, before losing 5-4 to Malawi in the semifinals. They lost 5-1 to South Africa in Again they took home the bronze with a 2-0 victory over the semifinal though, and were Eswatini. beaten 1-0 by Zambia in the bronze- They did not play in 2002, but returned in 2007 and once medal match. more had to settle for bronze. A 1-1 draw with Malawi was They exited in the first round in followed by an 8-0 success over Botswana to see them top 2001 after a 1-0 loss to South Africa their pool. and a 3-2 victory over Namibia, and Zimbabwe were their semi-final opponents and after a did not compete in 2002. 1-1 draw, it was The Baby Warriors who triumphed 5-4 on Their crowning glory came in the penalties. Zambia beat Malawi 1-0 in the third-place play-off. 2007 competition as they topped The team were disqualified from the 2016 event for their pool wins win over Angola (2-1) fielding two over-age players, but returned a year later to lift and Eswatini (3-1), that had followed their maiden crown. a 1-1 draw with Namibia. They advanced into the knockout stages with wins over They defeated Zambia 5-4 on Madagascar (7-1) and South Africa (3-2), and despite a 1-0 penalties in the semifinals after a loss to Mozambique. 1-1 draw, and then edged South After a 2-0 semifinal win, Zambia completed a Africa on spot-kicks (4-2 after a 1-1 comprehensive 3-0 victory over hosts Mauritius in the final draw) in the decider. to take gold. The team did not compete in They could not defend that title in 2018 though as the 2016 and lost all three pool matches team surprisingly exited in the first round. A 0-0 draw with in 2017, going down to Mauritius (1- Mozambique was followed by a 1-0 win over Lesotho, but 0), Malawi (5-0) and Botswana (2-1). their fate was sealed by a 2-1 loss to South Africa. It was a similar story in 2018 as They romped to the trophy last year, recording wins they lost to Eswatini (3-2), Malawi over Eswatini (6-0), South Africa (7-0) and Malawi (3-2) in (5-0) and Angola (2-1), and the team the pool stages, followed by a 2-0 victory over Angola in did not compete in 2019. the semifinals, and a win by the same scoreline in the final It means their last outright against Mozambique. win (without penalties) in this Zambia have only appeared at the African Under-17 competition was 13 years ago in the Championships once before, making their debut in 2015, but pool stages against Eswatini (3-1). bowing out in the first round. players

STAR NAMES FROM PREVIOUS CHAMPIONSHIPS

8 ARCHFORD GUTU  Gutu was seen as a young prodigy and went on to play in Sweden, for a number of years, though he was without a club for some while after leaving Varnamo in August last year. He has recently re-joined Dynamos in his homeland, where the 27-year-old will hope to reignite his career. He played at the 2007 COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championship and was a star for Zimbabwe in the tournament.

CHISAMBA LUNGU Lungi was a star of the Zambia junior set-up and would go on to have an STEVE LEKOELEA influential senior international Another of South Africa’s flamboyant DELRON BUCKLEY  career that included lifting playmakers, Lekoelea went by Buckley appeared in the Africa Cup of Nations title the name of Steve Motsiri when the inaugural 1994 in 2012. he turned out for the country in COSAFA Men’s Under-17 That came five years after the 1994 COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championship and would go he was a star for Zambia at Championship. on to win 73 caps for Bafana the 2007 COSAFA Men’s He would spend a decade with Bafana in a superb career that Under-17 Championship, and top local club Orlando Pirates, where included an appearance at he would also spend eight he was revered for his midfield skill, the 1998 FIFA World Cup. successful seasons with Ural having begun his career with Moroka He also played extensively Yekaterinburg in Russia. Swallows. in the German Bundesliga, He also later joined He was 15 years, 257 days old including for Borussia Alanyaspor in Turkey and was when he debuted for Swallows, and Dortmund, as well as in most recently with Nkana became the league’s youngest scorer, Cyprus and back home at FC as he works his way back aged 16 years, 7 days. Both records Maritzburg United. from injury. have since been beaten. players

PATSON DAKA  One of the hottest strikers in Europe, Daka is scoring goals for fun with Red Bull Salzburg in both the Austrian league and the UEFA Champions League. He seemed destined to move to a top club on the continent, and if he does so will remember fondly his goals at the 2015 COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championship, which was played as part of the AUSC ROBERT NGAMBI  Region 5 Games in Bulawayo. Ng’ambi was until recently still going strong at the age of 34 after finishing LAMECK BANDA as top-scorer in the 2001 The Zambia star scored COSAFA Men’s Under-17 five goals in the 2017 Championship. COSAFA Men’s Under-17 He has just left Black Championship and has ZITO LUVUMBO  Leopards in the South African continued his steady rise A year later came the arrival of Premier Soccer League, but since. Angolan Zito Luvumbo, who has also enjoyed a successful He is currently playing in taken the region by storm and spell with Platinum Stars, the Israeli league for Maccabi signalled his status as one of the where he won the MTN8 and Netanya on loan from Arsenal best young players to come out of Telkom Knockout. Tula in Russia, and can now Southern Africa in a while. He has had an excellent showcase his talent to a wide He was the star of the 2018 career as a goal-scoring audience. tournament as Angola romped to the midfielder and it is a surprise Still only 19, he has so title and has since signed with Italian to many that he was not much potential and will surely Serie A side Cagliari. snapped up by bigger teams be in one of Europe’s big The 18-year-old is set to take the over the years. leagues soon. Italian scene by storm. stats

2020 COSAFA MEN’S UNDER-17 CHAMPIONSHIPS – No nation IN NUMBERS from the 0 COSAFA region has managed to lift the African We tally up all the facts and figures around Under-17 Championship in the the 2020 COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championships. past. South Africa came closest when they picked up a silver medal in 2015. Angola took home bronze in 2019.

– Malawi played – There were 50 host to the goals scored in 1 COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championship 50 the 16 matches played for the first time in 2019 and become the fourth at the 2019 COSAFA Under-17 host nation overall. South Africa Championship, an average of more and Mauritius (three each) have staged the tournament the than three per game! greatest number of times before, while Namibia have hosted once. South Africa will move to the top of the pile this year. – Mauritius – The most goals – There will be were hosts scored in a eight teams – There will 3 of the men’s 7 single game in last 8 entered into the be just one championship between year’s championship was seven 2020 COSAFA Men’s Under-17 1 venue used for the 2016 and 2018, and as Zambia thumped old foes Championship, namely Angola, championships, the Gelvandale also staged the inaugural South Africa 7-0! Botswana, Comoros Islands, Stadium, which will host all COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Eswatini, Malawi, South Africa, games. Championship last year. – There have defending champions Zambia been eight other and Zimbabwe. – The – Simon Cipriano 8 tournaments championships (Mozambique), played loosely under the banner – The 2020 2 serve as zonal 5 Valdemiro of a regional Men’s Under-17 COSAFA qualifiers for the 2021 Domingos (Angola) championship. South Africa have 13 Under-17 Under-17 Africa Cup of and Rickson Ng’ambi won two of these in 1994 and Championship Nations in Morocco, with the (Zambia) were the joint top- 2002, Malawi claimed success in features 13 matches, two finalists advancing to the scorers at last year’s finals with 2001. Zimbabwe lifted the title nine in the first round group continental competition. five goals each. in 2007, while Namibia were stage, two semifinals, a third- victorious in 2016, Zambia in place play-off and a final. – Mozambique – South Africa 2017 and 2019, and Angola in reached their have reached 2018. – The COSAFA 2 second final 6 the greatest Under-17 in this age-group last year, but number of finals in this 14 Champion- as on the first occasion (1-2 vs age-group with six, but have only ship is open to all 14 of South Africa in 1994), it ended in won in two of those. They were the nations that make up the defeat. They lost 2-0 to Zambia beaten 1-0 by Angola in their last Southern African regional body. in the decider. trip to the decider in 2018. FOLLOW THE COSAFA MEN’S UNDER-17 CHAMPIONSHIP LIVE ON COSAFATV!

Fans are in for treat with the news that the COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championship will be streamed live from Nelson Mandela Bay when the tournament is played from November 19-29!

Those from around the world who want to follow the action will be able to do so live on COSAFA.TV, where they will be able to stream the matches on their Phones, Tablets and Computers.

It means the tournament will be available across the globe for fans and scouts to view the best of the up-and-coming talent in the COSAFA region, as eight teams try to lift the trophy in this age-group.

The match action will be available at www.cosafa.tv or via www.cosafa.com, where you can check the homepage or click on the COSAFA.TV tab.

The recent COSAFA Women’s Championship and COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship played in Nelson Mandela Bay saw fans from around the region, and beyond, lap up the action.

COSAFA TV is an important part of our offering to ensure that fans always have access to not only live matches, but news snippets, interviews and highlights.

Matches can also be followed via live text coverage on our Twitter account @COSAFAMEDIA format

HOW ZONAL QUALIFIERS SPICE UP MEN’S U17 AND U20 COSAFA COMPETITIONS

The Men’s Under-17 Africa’s six zones are made up of the following, and Under-20 COSAFA of which COSAFA is the biggest: Championships that will be staged in South Africa’s Nelson Mandela North Zone: Bay will have added significance for the Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia participating teams. That is because both will serve as West A Zone: zonal qualifiers for their respective Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, CAF Africa Cup of Nations in their Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone age-groups, a system that has been introduced by the Confederation of West B Zone: African football to ensure all their Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Niger, Nigeria, Togo six zones are represented at the continental finals. Central Zone: COSAFA will have two representatives Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, DR Congo, in each of the 12-team finals Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe tournaments, meaning the sides that qualify for the final matches in Central-East Zone: the Under-17 and Under-20 COSAFA Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Championships will seal their place. Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda It is a massive carrot to be dangled in front of the teams, and ensures that South Zone: the silver medallists in each competition Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, will at least go home with some greater Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia, consolation. Zimbabwe format

If the host nation comes from one of the Zones, in the case of Morocco for the Under-17s and Mauritania for the Under-20s, then that is counted as one of their positions filled. The idea from CAF is to ensure that all regions of Africa have some representation, with West Africa having the highest with four teams, considering that region is split into two zones. Angola were Southern Africa’s representatives in the 2019 CAF Under-17 Cup of Nations after winning the COSAFA competition that year, the first time the zona qualifiers were AFRICAN UNDER-17 CUP OF NATIONS introduced. 2011 1997 2017 2013 1995 2015 1999 2019 2001 2007 2003 2005 This is the first time that the 2009 T O TAL Under-20 competition will be using Angola • GS GS • • • • • • • • GS 3rd 4 zonal qualifiers. Botswana GS GS • • • • • • x GS • • • 3 The qualifiers in both age groups have yet to be played in any zone due to Eswatini x x • • GS x x x x x x x • 1 the COVID-19 pandemic, but should be Malawi • x • • • x • 4th x • x x • 1 completed by the end of the year. Mozambique GS x x GS • • • • • • • • • 2 The COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Seychelles x x x GS x x x • x x • • • 1 Championships will be staged from South Africa • • • • • 4th GS • • • 2nd • • 3 November 19-29, while the COSAFA Zambia dis x • • • x • • • • GS • • 1 Men’s Under-20 Championships are Zimbabwe • GS GS • • GS • GS x x x x • 4 from December 3-13. Key: GS = Group Stages; x = did not enter; • = did not qualify; dis = disqualified

AFRICAN UNDER-20 CUP OF NATIONS 1981 1991 2011 1987 1997 1979 2017 1983 1985 1993 2013 1995 2015 1989 1999 2019 2001 2007 2003 2005 2009 T O TAL

Angola x x 1R 1R x PR x x • • GS 1st • GS • • • • • • • 6

Eswatini x x 1R x x x x x x x • • • x x x x x • • • 1

Lesotho x x x x x QF • x • x • • x GS • • GS x x • • 1

Malawi x x x x x x x x • x GS • x x • • • x • x • 1

Mauritius 2R x x x x x x GS GS • x • x x • • • • x • • 3

Mozambique x x x PR QF x x x x x • • • • • • • • • • • 2

South Africa x x x x x x x x • 2nd • GS GS • • 4th GS • GS 4th 3rd 8

Zambia x x x 1R 1R x 4th x GS GS 4th • • • 4th • • • GS 1st • 9

Zimbabwe x 2R QF QF x • • x • x x • • • • x x x • • 3

Key: PR = Preliminary round; 1R = First Round; GS = Group Stages; QF = Quarterfinals; x = did not enter; • = did not qualify; dis = disqualified 2020 cosafa men's under-17 championship fixtures POOL STAGES DATE KO GROUP FIXTURE VENUE 19-Nov 12h30 A Zimbabwe vs Angola Gelvandale Stadium 19-Nov 15h30 A South Africa vs Eswatini Gelvandale Stadium 20-Nov 12h30 B Malawi vs Botswana Gelvandale Stadium 20-Nov 15h30 B Zambia vs Comoros Gelvandale Stadium 21-Nov 12h30 A Angola vs Eswatini Gelvandale Stadium 21-Nov 15h30 A Zimbabwe vs South Africa Gelvandale Stadium 22-Nov 12h30 B Botswana vs Comoros Gelvandale Stadium 22-Nov 15h30 B Malawi vs Zambia Gelvandale Stadium 24-Nov 15h30 A Eswatini vs Zimbabwe The Oval 24-Nov 15h30 A South Africa vs Angola Gelvandale Stadium 25-Nov 15h30 B Comoros vs Malawi The Oval 25-Nov 15h30 B Zambia vs Botswana Gelvandale Stadium

SEMIFINALS 27-Nov 12h00 13 1st Grp B vs 2nd Grp A Gelvandale Stadium 27-Nov 15h30 14 1st Grp A vs 2nd Grp B Gelvandale Stadium

THIRD-PLACE PLAY-OFF 29-Nov 11h00 15 Loser M13 vs Loser M14 Gelvandale Stadium

FINAL

29 November 2020 | 15h00 | Match 16 Winner Match 13 vs Winner Match 14 Gelvandale Stadium