‘There’s going to be a big upset’: Khumalo on Amajimbos’ quarterfinal against Morocco

SA under-17 coach Vela Khumalo is confident his side will not be overwhelmed by the occasion when they face hosts Morocco in their U-17 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal in Mohammedia, Morocco on Thursday night (9pm SA time).

Amajimbos confirmed their place in the last eight and in the 2025 Fifa World Cup in Qatar this weekend, despite losing 2-0 in their final Group B match against Burkina Faso in Casablanca on Sunday.

SA opened the tournament with a crucial 4-3 win over Egypt before drawing 0-0 against a physical Cameroon.

Speaking to TimesLIVE from Morocco on Wednesday, Khumalo sounded confident of victory against the hosts, who are yet to lose and have scored eight goals and conceded none to finish top of Group A with two wins and a draw. 

“It's a big one. But I think we stand a good chance of winning because if you look at their physical outlook, the structure and all of that, they look more like us,” Khumalo said. 

“They're a structured team and they play good football as opposed to the 'older ones' that sit back and then start coming at us on a counter. This one is going to be very interesting and good football for Africa, but I think there will be a big upset.”

Not even the intimidating atmosphere that will be created by home fans in the 10,000-seat Stade El Bachir will distract Amajimbos, as Khumalo insisted his players have the mental capacity to focus on the game. 

“We saw that [intimidating fans] with Burkina Faso [in the last group match], but normally with the brand of football we play it doesn't last long. When the game starts, they all follow their team but 10, 15 minutes down the line, looking at how we play, they start to support us and move away from their team.

“We know it is pressure and they love their team but we're ready. We spoke about all of that, we're mentally ready. These are kids and they love to play good football. We'll maintain our good football with a bit of aggression and goals this time.” 

Goals are what Khumalo's team has lacked, as they only scored four and conceded five in the group matches. 

“If you look at it, we played so well in the group stages. We needed to push up and minimise the mistakes we've been making at the back and be a bit lethal. We need to be aggressive in scoring and reduce the number of touches or combinations and instead of trying to score from outside the box, we get closer.”

Khumalo said the match against Morocco is part of preparation for the World Cup in November. A school principal and head coach of the Kaizer Chiefs reserve team, he said playing many countries outside the continent will also help sharpen  his team for the global showpiece, which will consist of 48 nations for the first time.   

“It [going to the World Cup] is huge and we cannot afford to be playing African teams. We need to get one from South America, one from Europe, because this is a World Cup and we can't have Botswana and Lesotho and prepare with them. That's not going to help us.

“Our preparation should be better, going overseas to South America and Europe. That will help us. I was watching the South Americans yesterday [Tuesday] and those are the ones we need to play against, and have more time in the camp.” 

Qualifying for the World Cup will open many doors for Amajimbos players to potentially further their careers overseas and Khumalo said that is not lost on him and the team. 

“That's why I'm so positive about their performance because the stress of qualifying for the World Cup is no longer there. We've got what we wanted to reach.

“This is a big milestone for them and I think most will remain overseas after the World Cup. For me, personally, it has added a lot in my CV as an achievement.”

Amajimbos last played in the World Cup in 2015 under former Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki.