Football: Cosafa under-20 tournament |23 October 2013

Seychelles drawn in group C, play South Africa in opening match

One of 14 competing teams, Seychelles have been drawn in group C of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) under-20 tournament to be played in Lesotho from December 3-14, 2013.

The three other countries of the four-team group C are defending champions Zambia, South Africa and Namibia.

Hosts Lesotho will play in group A along with east African guests Kenya, Comoros islands and Mauritius.

Group B contains Angola, Mozambique and Madagascar, while Group D is made up of Botswana, Zimbabwe and Swaziland.

The first matches of the tournament will be played in Maseru on December 3, but Seychelles will be in action for the first time on day two – December 4 – in Mafeteng against South Africa, one of the pre-tournament favourites. The country’s second group game is against Namibia on December 7 before clashing with Zambia, the winners of the last three tournaments, on December 10.

The top two teams at the end of the league phase played on a round-robin format will advance to the semifinals.

Because there are only three teams in groups B and D, the top two sides in these groups will each play one additional match crossing over between B and D. The top side in group B will play the second-placed team in D and vice-versa. Thereafter, the top team in each of the groups will qualify to the semifinal round.
 
The semi-finals are scheduled for December 12 and the final two days later – on December 14 – in Maseru.

The Cosafa under-20 youth championship has been played in various guises since 1983, with Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa the dominant forces in the region. Zambia have won the title a record 10 times.

The last time the tournament was played was in Botswana in 2011, when Zambia edged Angola 2-1 in the final.

The Seychelles team, under coach Gavin Jeanne, did not go past the group stage as they lost their two group B games against Lesotho (0-3) and Malawi (0-2).

G. G.