Angola will no longer host the 2010 COSAFA Senior Challenge after failing to give the Council of Southern African Football Associations the necessary guarantees for staging the regional showpiece that was scheduled for November 13-27. COSAFA this week announced the tournament would be postponed to next year to give the new host time to hunt for sponsorship. The last competition was staged in Zimbabwe with the Warriors proving a force to reckon with by lifting the Cup.
But this is the first time since the tournaments debut show in 1997 that it has failed to take place. The council is yet to reveal the host of the showpiece, next year.
We are disappointed that we will not be able to take the tournament to Angola this year, it is a wonderful country and top-class facilities. However, this is our flagship competition and a crucial platform for the development of young talent in the region, the President of COSAFA, Suketu Patel said.
Therefore, we must ensure that we have the full buy-in from the host country and that the minimum technical requirements for the staging of a tournament of this magnitude are met. We are confident that the competition to be held next year will be another highly-successful event, and one that showcases the enormous talent of the region.
Zimbabwe beat Zambia 3-1 on home soil in the 2009 final. The competition has been staged in each of the last 13 years, starting with the inaugural event in 1997.
Post published in: Football