South Africa begins bid for a place in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in India

23 July 2016 - 13:33 By Nick Said

South Africa’s quest for a place at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in India next September begins in earnest when they take on Seychelles in their opening match of the regional COSAFA Championships in Mauritius on Saturday.

Coach Molefi Ntseki has had to wipe his slate clean with all but a couple of his World Cup players from last year having progressed up to the Under-20 national side.It means a new group and some fresh faces for the COSAFA Under-17 Championships‚ with the squad having been pulled together after extensive scouting all over the country.This will be the first time the ‘new’ Amajimbos have been tested in international competition and the game comes just a few weeks before their African Under-17 Championship qualifier against Tanzania on the weekend of August 5-7.Seychelles should provide a gentle start for the South Africans‚ with tougher assignments against Namibia and hosts Mauritius on Monday and Wednesday next week.“It all starts for us here in Mauritius‚” Ntseki told Times Media Digital.“This is the start of a long journey for this team that we hope will end at the World Cup.“It is a new group and features players who have mostly never played at international level before‚ so we need to bring them up to speed quickly on what is required.“The football is only part of it‚ but the mental side of the game and tactical awareness are big areas where we need to improve these players. We saw at the World Cup in Chile last year how these were big areas of concern for us.”Ntseki’s obvious intention is to win the COSAFA tournament‚ but that ambition is almost secondary when looking at the bigger picture.“It is a long road to the World Cup and we need to break it down into stages. We should look to win in our region first [COSAFA]‚ then quality for the African Under-20 Championships and do well enough there to win a place at the World Cup.“But most important is to play matches‚ that is the only way we will improve.”Ntseki does have some exciting talent to call on‚ including Orlando Pirates midfielder Thabiso Monyane‚ Mamelodi Sundowns striker Siphamandla Ntuli and Ikapa Sporting midfielder Luke le Roux‚ who has already had two training stints with Netherlands club PEC Zwolle.Only the top two sides in each pool advance to the semifinals‚ with the final to be played on July 31.Zambia are the defending champions after they lifted the title 18 months ago in the last tournament played in Zimbabwe. - TMG Digital..

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