GUIDE TO THE COSAFA QUALIFIERS FOR TOTAL U-20 AFCON [ MAURITANIA 2021 ] Nelson Mandela Bay December 3-13, 2020 POWERED BY [ MESSAGES ] MESSAGE FROM COSAFA PRESIDENT DR PHILLIP CHIYANGWA IT GIVES US GREAT PLEASURE to be able to host the COSAFA Men’s Under-20 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, the Women’s Under-20 and Under-17 competitions in 2019 and 2020 respectively, and most recently the COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championship. This will be the fourth tournament in a period of around six weeks, which has created a great logistical puzzle, but as ever we have been up for the challenge and I have no doubt our team will It is also pleasing to see that we are able to host deliver another world-class event. our age-group tournaments annually now, giving Of course, we are just delighted to be staging junior players a vital chance to test themselves at any competitions at all in this most difficult of the international level against their peers. years which has seen the COVID-19 pandemic After a period when this tournament was wreak havoc with our football calendar. hosted sporadically, this will be the fifth year in a It is a testament to the willingness and foresight row it has been staged, in South Africa in 2016, of our partners in the Nelson Mandela Bay and then Zambia from 2017-2019. municipality, and the hard work of our team of Our mandate at COSAFA is to develop the organisers, that we will have staged four of our six game on and off the pitch and this experience tournaments by the end of December, when just for players, coaches, match officials and a few months ago it looked as though we might administrators will be invaluable in helping them have none. gain knowledge and expertise. Much planning has gone into these events, with It is by hosting and organising tournaments such strict COVID-19 measures in place to safeguard as these that we see skills improve in all areas, as the players, technical teams, match officials and there is nothing better than hands-on experience administrators. These measures are all part of the to gain knowledge. ‘new normal’ that we now live with. It will be fascinating to see who can claim the This 2020 COSAFA Men’s Under-20 tournament trophy this year with a fantastic field of teams, will have added significance of course as it serves including defending champions Zambia. as a zonal qualifier for the 2021 CAF Africa I am sure the football will be entertaining and it Under-20 Cup of Nations that is scheduled for is always exciting to catch a glimpse of the stars of Mauritania. 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 to the Nelson Mandela Bay junior tournaments. MEN’S UNDER-20 once more, I would like to Once you have the basics CHAMPIONSHIP that will urge all countries to seize this right, the rest will take care of run from December 3-13 is a opportunity and build solid themselves. vital competition on the CAF junior sides to compete, not It is time Africa dominate calendar. only on the continent but to the game and it starts with The tournament will now make African teams global development sides. run as a zonal qualifier for the giants again. I would like to take this CAF Under-20 Cup of Nations Of late, Africa has lagged opportunity to welcome tournament. behind in almost all of the everyone including those The Nelson Mandela Bay has national teams and this was running the competition. of late become the hub of most underscored by all of the five I would also like to thank important football activities nations at the 2018 FIFA World the NMB for their continued and the U20 competition is the Cup in Russia being eliminated support of the game because last of four COSAFA events held in the first round. without willing partners, the in the city since the start of We need to do some soul game won’t progress to where November. searching as a continent and the we want it to be. As we welcome the region 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 2020 COSAFA PLEASURE to welcome the COSAFA as a crucial portal the COSAFA Men’s Under-20 for exposure and an opportunity tournaments, be it live action, news, views Championship to the City of to raise our public relations bar a or videos! 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 resuming all activities after the COSAFA and all the www.instagram.com/cosafafootball/ such a big gap that we had to participating SADC nations to the take in our sports, we do not city. We urge you to spread the ❖ Check us out on TikTok: @cosafamedia take lightly to the fact that by message to your home public competing you still put your lives that we in the Nelson Mandela ❖ Head to COSAFA TV: www.cosafa.tv at risk every time you meet with Bay are most welcoming to our people. African brothers and sisters. HISTORY OF THE COSAFA MEN'S UNDER-20 CHAMPIONSHIP THE 2020 COSAFA MEn’S UNDER-20 benefitted from the exposure they got to top CHAMPIONSHIPS will be the latest level competition. installment of the vital regional tournament From a South African perspective, the that has been a breeding ground for so much likes of Itumeleng Khune, Lerato Chabangu, Southern African talent down the years. Daine Klate, Elrio van Heerden and Lebohang The competition will also act as a zonal Mokoena all represented their country at this qualifier for the 2021 Africa Under-20 Cup level and gone on to forge successful club and of Nations, with the two finalists set to international careers. advance to the continental showpiece that is Other young stars such as Clifford Mulenga scheduled for Mauritania. and Isaac Chansa (both Zambia), Tinashe Zambia will be retain the title they won Nengomasha and Onismor Bhasera (both last year on home soil, as fans get to see Zimbabwe), as well as Jimmy Zakazaka potentially a new batch of young stars from (Malawi), have used the tournament to the Southern African region. persuade clubs outside of their country that In that regard, the COSAFA Men’s Under-20 they have a bright future in the game. Championship is vital and has played its part The tournament was first played in 1983, in developing some of the brightest stars from but was a little-recognised get-together of a the region in its many guises down the years. few of the stalwarts of the region, including Running through the list of past stars to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Botswana. grace the finals, it reads like a Who’s Who The Apartheid practices of South Africa at of Southern African football and all will have the time meant they were excluded, and the MOST WINS PREVIOUS 11 8 6 1 WINNERS Zambia South Africa Zimbabwe Madagascar 1983 Zambia 1985 Zimbabwe 1986 Zambia 1988 Zimbabwe 1990 Zimbabwe 1993 Zambia 1995 Zambia 1997 Zambia 1999 Zambia 2000 South Africa 2001 Zimbabwe 2002 Zimbabwe 2003 Zambia 2004 South Africa Madagascar 2005 country only entered the fray for the first extending their winning streak to three with 2006 South Africa time in 1993. success in both. Those early years were dominated by They added an 11th title in 2016 when 2007 Zimbabwe the ‘Two Zs’, with Zambia winning six they romped through the competition, and Zimbabwe three of the first nine defeating hosts South Africa 2-1 in the final.