The Warriors stuck to what has become tradition when they failed to qualify for the more lucrative Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea. They will now have to redeem lost pride when they clash with largely minnows like Malawi, Botswana and Swaziland in the regional championships.
Only South Africa (1996) and Zambia (2012) have won the Afcon among the regional powerhouses that also include Angola.
“South Africa will host the COSAFA Cup next year, planned for the end of their league season in May to allow all competing countries to field full strength line-ups,” said Cosafa media officer, Lynda Greef this week.
South Africa were still to decide on the venues for the tournament, but confirmed the hosting of the 14-country event after the completion of the COSAFA Annual General Meeting in Johannesburg on Saturday.
“We already have the necessary resources to make sure that the tournament takes place,” said COSAFA President, Suketu Patel after the meeting. “We had a traumatic 2014 trying to get the COSAFA Cup up and running after such a successful tournament in Zambia in 2013. We did not anticipate the difficulties. But it is not only with great relief that we can look forward to a 2015 tournament but also with great assurance,” Patel said.
South African Football Association president, Danny Jordaan, was a happy man following the Cosafa resolution. “We are proud that SAFA will be host the next COSAFA Cup in South Africa and we will look to make it a successful tournament both on and off the pitch and re-establish our contribution to make COSAFA the strongest region in African football,” he said.
Post published in: Football