Amajimbos head coach Vela Khumalo admitted that it is painful that his side did not qualify for the U17 Africa Cup of Nations.
The South African U17 side missed out on going to Ivory Coast in 2025 as they lost 2-1 to Zambia in the semi-finals of the COSAFA qualifiers in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Only the finalists of the regional tournament qualify for AFCON which also serves as a FIFA U17 World Cup qualification too.
Those spots are now filled by Angola and Zambia who face off on Friday for the Cosafa Cup title.
It’s the second time the team has not gone to the continental showpiece in four years following the disturbance of the 2020 edition by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking after the defeat Khumalo said he was hopeful of qualification with his talented group and the 2-1 defeat to the Young Chipolopolo hurts.
“It’s painful,” said Khumalo. “It’s very painful. You know, I remember when we played Zambia the last time I was coaching U17 we won the game, and we were supposed to go to AFCON and then COVID happened.
“So now we are at the very stage again, where I was hopeful. I thought we were going to AFCON and now this is how we’re losing it. It’s very painful, it’s not nice. A bitter pill to swallow but what can we do? It’s football. We need to move on.”
Khumalo added that the positives coming from the setback are that if the players are kept in the system they have a long way in playing for the country in different age groups.
“Imagine these boys are going to be in the U20, U23 the country is in a good direction with these boys.
“If we can keep these boys and grow them even better I think we’ll see most of them playing U23, most of them playing in Bafana-Bafana in the future.
“The future is looking bright considering how we play and the style of play, the philosophy that SAFA is instilling in these boys.”
