Botswana COSAFA : Southern Africa’s premier football show comes home

Tokyo Olympics

Across the Atlantic Ocean, the football congregation is worshipping at Copa America and its gods such as Lionel Messi. In Europe, ‘it’s coming home’ Euro2020 vibe is irritatingly getting louder. For Southern Africa, the football vocabulary is, from today up to July 18, about the Cosafa Cup.

South Africa is hosting the tournament at picturesque Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth where a cast of 10 national teams are chasing honours.

It is safe to suggest that the Cosafa Cup has come home because no other country has hosted the tournament more than South Africa.

Not that all has been rosy though. The build up to the 2021 edition of the tournament has been punctuated by Covid-19 travel restrictions, late team withdrawals and  consequently, re-jigging of format of play.

Covid-19 travel restrictions have left the tournament depleted following the last-gasp withdrawals of islanders, Comoros and Madagascar. Nonetheless, there is still plenty to play for.

The pull-out of Madagascar has led to a significance change in the format of play of the competition which has shrunk from three to now just two groups of five teams each.

Both withdrawals hit hard Group B, leaving it with only neighbours Zambia and Malawi, hence the decision to relocate them pools A and B respectively.

The changes mean the best two teams from each pool will advance to the last-four stage as opposed to the previous format of only the best team in each of the three groups plus overall second best proceeding.

Despite such setbacks, Southern Africa’s premier football show gets in motion today.

Eswatini and Lesotho will pen the opening script of this show at 2pm today, before paving the way for Bafana Bafana and Botswana to strut their stuff at the same venue.

The holders Zambia are in Group A alongside South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini whereas Malawi have found company in Group B comprising guests Senegal, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mozambique.

Another change that was announced by the organising committee earlier in the day is that teams may use five substitutes in matches, though they must be brought on at only three separate points during the game. This is in line with FIFA and CAF statutes that have been extended for use up until the end of 2021,” Cosafa statement reads.

Despite the withdrawals, most teams, including defending champions Zambia, have brought to the tournament strong squads featuring the likes of Augustine Mulenga  (AmaZulu), Justin Shonga (Cape Town City), Kabaso Chongo (TP Mazembe), Cyril Chibwe (Polokwane City) and 2012 AFCON winner, Kennedy Mweene from Mamelodi Sundowns, signaling that coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredejovic wants to use the tournament to prepare for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Zambia are the holders having defeated Zimbabwe in the final of the 2019 edition also held in South Africa. Last year, the tournament did not take place due to the disruptions which the Covid-19 pandemic caused.

Surely, Zambia should be seeking to match the record of the neighbours Zimbabwe who have won the cup the most, six times, one ahead of Zambia, followed by South Africa (four), Angola thrice and Namibia once.

Zimbabwe too have not gambled on player-selection; their squad comprises veteran keeper Washington Arubi, whose heroics helped TTM to win the Nedbank Cup title in South last season, strikers Knox Mutizwa (Golden Arrows) and Evans Rusike (free agent).

Elsewhere, South Africa stand-in coach, Helman Mkhalele, has revised his squad to include players drawn from lower division teams.

However, the squad still has some experience in the likes ofVeli Mothwa (AmaZulu), Rushine De Reuck, Nyiko Mobbie (Mamelodi Sundowns), Njabulo Ngcobo (Swallows) and Sifiso Ngobeni (Bloem Celtic)

Overall, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi and Mozambique have never won the cup, hence they have every reason to pen a new script of the tournament.

Teams such as Malawi are without their all-time leading scorer Gabadinho Mhango (five goals) and 2019 Player of the Year, Gerald Phiri Junior and his Baroka FC team-mate Richard Mbulu. They have all been excused.

However, the Flames coach Meck Mwase, who has recovered from Covid-19 just in time for the competition, has drafted in the team seasoned campaigners such as Zicco Mkanda, Muhamad Sulumba, Tawonga Chimodzi and Ndaziona Chatsalira, hoping they would gel with a bunch of uncapped lads such as Maxwell Gasten.

Gasten is the leading striker in the domestic league in Malawi this campaign having scored 12 goals in 21 games for Silver Strikers. He surely should be hoping for his Cosafa Cup debut.

There are individual records up for grabs at the tournament. For example, strikers should aim to surpass Zimbabwean legend Peter Ndlovu and Felix Badenhorst of Eswatini who are the all-time leading scorers for the Cosafa Cup with eight goals apiece.

South Africa is hosting the tournament at picturesque Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth where a cast of 10 national teams are chasing honours.

It is safe to suggest that the Cosafa Cup has come home because no other country has hosted the tournament more than South Africa.

Not that all has been rosy though. The build up to the 2021 edition of the tournament has been punctuated by Covid-19 travel restrictions, late team withdrawals and  consequently, re-jigging of format of play.

Covid-19 travel restrictions have left the tournament depleted following the last-gasp withdrawals of islanders, Comoros and Madagascar. Nonetheless, there is still plenty to play for.

The pull-out of Madagascar has led to a significance change in the format of play of the competition which has shrunk from three to now just two groups of five teams each.

Both withdrawals hit hard Group B, leaving it with only neighbours Zambia and Malawi, hence the decision to relocate them pools A and B respectively.

The changes mean the best two teams from each pool will advance to the last-four stage as opposed to the previous format of only the best team in each of the three groups plus overall second best proceeding.

Despite such setbacks, Southern Africa’s premier football show gets in motion today.

Eswatini and Lesotho will pen the opening script of this show at 2pm today, before paving the way for Bafana Bafana and Botswana to strut their stuff at the same venue.

The holders Zambia are in Group A alongside South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini whereas Malawi have found company in Group B comprising guests Senegal, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mozambique.

Another change that was announced by the organising committee earlier in the day is that teams may use five substitutes in matches, though they must be brought on at only three separate points during the game. This is in line with FIFA and CAF statutes that have been extended for use up until the end of 2021,” Cosafa statement reads.

Despite the withdrawals, most teams, including defending champions Zambia, have brought to the tournament strong squads featuring the likes of Augustine Mulenga  (AmaZulu), Justin Shonga (Cape Town City), Kabaso Chongo (TP Mazembe), Cyril Chibwe (Polokwane City) and 2012 AFCON winner, Kennedy Mweene from Mamelodi Sundowns, signaling that coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredejovic wants to use the tournament to prepare for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Zambia are the holders having defeated Zimbabwe in the final of the 2019 edition also held in South Africa. Last year, the tournament did not take place due to the disruptions which the Covid-19 pandemic caused.

Surely, Zambia should be seeking to match the record of the neighbours Zimbabwe who have won the cup the most, six times, one ahead of Zambia, followed by South Africa (four), Angola thrice and Namibia once.

Zimbabwe too have not gambled on player-selection; their squad comprises veteran keeper Washington Arubi, whose heroics helped TTM to win the Nedbank Cup title in South last season, strikers Knox Mutizwa (Golden Arrows) and Evans Rusike (free agent).

Elsewhere, South Africa stand-in coach, Helman Mkhalele, has revised his squad to include players drawn from lower division teams.

However, the squad still has some experience in the likes ofVeli Mothwa (AmaZulu), Rushine De Reuck, Nyiko Mobbie (Mamelodi Sundowns), Njabulo Ngcobo (Swallows) and Sifiso Ngobeni (Bloem Celtic)

Overall, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi and Mozambique have never won the cup, hence they have every reason to pen a new script of the tournament.

Teams such as Malawi are without their all-time leading scorer Gabadinho Mhango (five goals) and 2019 Player of the Year, Gerald Phiri Junior and his Baroka FC team-mate Richard Mbulu. They have all been excused.

However, the Flames coach Meck Mwase, who has recovered from Covid-19 just in time for the competition, has drafted in the team seasoned campaigners such as Zicco Mkanda, Muhamad Sulumba, Tawonga Chimodzi and Ndaziona Chatsalira, hoping they would gel with a bunch of uncapped lads such as Maxwell Gasten.

Gasten is the leading striker in the domestic league in Malawi this campaign having scored 12 goals in 21 games for Silver Strikers. He surely should be hoping for his Cosafa Cup debut.

There are individual records up for grabs at the tournament. For example, strikers should aim to surpass Zimbabwean legend Peter Ndlovu and Felix Badenhorst of Eswatini who are the all-time leading scorers for the Cosafa Cup with eight goals apiece.


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