South Africa’s COSAFA team coach is gearing up for the 2025 COSAFA Cup, as it’ll open its account against Mozambique at the Free State Stadium on Wednesday.
The team is pitted against Mozambique, Mauritius and Zimbabwe in Group A of the regional tournament qualifiers.
Coach Vela Khumalo, who recently guided the U17 to the FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile, said he’s happy with his first training session with the players.
“I think we are happy that everyone is here, and it was our first session.
Remember, with just a day before our first match, Tuesday will be the walk through, so we’re happy with the number of players who showed up on our first training session,” said Khumalo.
The coach highlighted that they’ll not take their opponents for granted, adding that their planning to mount a strong challenge for the regional title.
“We’re playing against Mozambique, and we don’t know much about them, but it’s all about how we want to express ourselves when playing at home.
We need to show that we’re playing at home. We promise to play good football, but most importantly, we need to win the game.
We want to see ourselves going into the semifinals, that’s the most important thing,” explained Khumalo.
In addition, Khumalo expressed the confidence and attitude of the players assembled in the camp.
“I’m happy with the players because they look sharp.
I was not expecting them to look as sharp as they do as they have been in recess for two weeks.
But we’re in good shape and in a good space as we look forward to the next session,” remarked the coach.
