The president of the Namibia Football Association, Robert Shimooshili, stressed the need for improvement in the selection process for the junior teams that represented Namibia at the CAF African Schools Football Championship.
He says preparations should begin early and the selection of players must be done based on performance, to ensure a strong representation.
He made these remarks at the Jan Wilken Stadium in Walvis Bay regarding Namibia’s early elimination in the tournament.
Shimooshili added that the youngsters are hungry to showcase their skills but were not given game time. He emphasised that regional leadership, government, and corporates should invest more in football development.
However, he added that the tournament was successful and that the message was well delivered to promote the development of the game, particularly at the grassroots level.
Winners
South Africa was crowned champions in both the Boys and Girls competitions. The Boys beat Zambia 4-2 on penalties after they had played to a 1-1 draw, while the Girls came from behind to defeat Malawi 3-1 in their decider.
This victory maintains South Africa’s 100% record in the competition, having won both the Boys and Girls competitions in the previous two editions in 2022 and 2023.
The Girls’ side also went on to be crowned African champions in Tanzania in May. As a result, Malawi will join South Africa in the Girls competition at the continental finals next year after the latter qualified as holders. However, only the South African Boys team advances to the continental phase in their tournament.
The Boys final saw them come from behind as Sydney Zulu capitalised on a goalkeeper error to give Zambia the lead in the first half. South Africa equalised in the second period through Luthando Mkhize, but neither side could find a winner, leading to a penalty shoot-out. Zambia missed their first two spot-kicks, while South Africa scored all four of theirs.
Zambia’s Tenani Simfukwe was named Player of the Tournament, while Malawi’s Okester Kanyenda took home the Golden Boot for his four goals scored. Zambia’s William Zulu won the Golden Glove as the best goalkeeper, and South Africa received the Fair Play award.
South Africa also retained their Girls’ title with a 3-1 victory over Malawi in the final. Malawi took an early lead through Rejoice Silungwe, marking the first goal South Africa had conceded in the competition. However, South Africa quickly responded through competition top scorer Leonay Kock, who ended with a brace in the game. Lethuthando Mthembu scored the other goal for the champions.
Kock won both the Golden Boot for her 11 goals and the Player of the Tournament prize. Her compatriot Mia Heneke received the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper, while Malawi took home the Fair Play award.
– Additional information Cosafa