By Williams Gondwa in Johannesburg, South Africa:
The Malawi Under-17 National Football Team is hoping for a good start when it begins its campaign for the 2024 Cosafa Youth Championships against Mozambique this afternoon at Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The junior Flames arrived in Johannesburg on Monday.
They travelled from Blantyre to Johannesburg by road.
The boys had a loosening training session on Tuesday ahead of today’s opening match against Mozambique.
Malawi Under-17 Coach Enos Chatama said his charges were eyeing a convincing win to enhance their chances of reaching the semifinals.
“Winning the opening match is very important because it will boost our chances of qualifying for the semifinals as we will need just an additional two points to qualify for the semifinals.
“The boys are looking good, even though it was a hectic trip travelling by road. The good thing is that we did our homework in Malawi and my boys will not disappoint come Wednesday afternoon. We are looking forward to winning the match and, if possible, scoring more goals. That is our main target,” Chatama said.
The FCB Nyasa Big Bullets reserve mentor said despite having several new players in the squad, the side had potential to reach the final.
“Last time we participated in this tournament was in 2022 in Lilongwe and the team finished third. You will notice that we cannot use those players due to the age bracket.
“However, we have selected equally good players who are giving us confidence,” Chatama said.
The 2020 Cosafa under-17 boys’ tournament will act as a qualifier for the Caf TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations.
Two finalists for the tournament will book a place at the TotalEnergies Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations slated for Ivory Coast next year.
Malawi are in group A alongside Mozambique, Lesotho and Angola.
The junior Flames will face Angola on Friday before wrapping up group stage assignments with a match against Lesotho on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Malawi Under-17 Girls National Football Team have joined South Africa, Namibia and Madagascar in the competition.
They will face hosts South Africa in their opening match tomorrow and, then, face Madagascar on Saturday.
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