South Africa U20 head coach Raymond Mdaka has reserved special praise for the DStv Diski Challenge following their historic U20 AFCON title triumph.
Mdaka’s charges were crowned African champions at under 20 level, adding to their COSAFA U20 title from last year as well booking their ticket to the U20 FIFA World Cup in Chile later this year.
The DDC celebrated 10 years since its inception with the purpose of giving youngsters an opportunity to showcase their talent. They finally reaping the fruits after both the SA U17s & U20s qualified for respective World Cups as Amajita is dominated by players that are playing in the DDC which is the U21 youth league in South Africa.
Speaking on SABC Sport, Mdaka gave DDC a special recognition during the presser after they were crowned U20 champions of Africa, stating that the league made it easy for them to follow-up players and to watch them every weekend.
“Back at home, we use to have interviews just to say a number of players that you see are the players that play in the DDC,” he said.
“Most of them were promoted for our games in Mozambique [COSAFA U20] which says a lot to the youth to say we seem to be heading there because that is the foundation of the senior national team, adding to that our U17 has qualified as a country. We need to put more focus as a development that’s where it can take us in terms of our football.
“I salute the DDC because it made it easy for us to be able to see players weekend over weekend going to different places seeing them, also following them.
“The country is too big. If it wasn’t for DDC we wouldn’t be able to see them, we couldn’t drive to make sure that we doing a follow-up or make sure that you see them.
“But through the DDC we were able to do that, and we salute them, and we say they have done a good job as much as we say we have won they have done a good job as a country.”
