Former Ubuntu Academy and Cape Town City Diski Challenge coach Moritz Kossmann recently celebrated promotion with SV Ried in Austria, but he also got to watch players he had aided in the development to lift the U20 AFCON in Egypt.
Kossmann moved to Europe in 2024, where he and former Stellenbosch (and Ubuntu) winger Antonio Van Wyk just completed a successful season, winning promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga with Ried.
Just 48 hours after that achievement, Kossmann was celebrating again watching former players Lazola Maku, Jody Ah Shene and Shakeel April win the U20 AFCON as South Africa defeated Morocco in the final.
As head coach of Ubuntu’s ABC Motsepe team, Kossmann had given the impressive Maku his senior debut at just 14! Maku would join SuperSport a few years later, where he plays for their Diski team.
The 18-year-old got tongues wagging in Egypt, and while he is yet to make his PSL debut for Matsantsantsa, he has already reportedly attracted interest from other teams. Maku was particularly impressive in Egypt in Kossmann’s view.
“I was immensely proud to see the South African U20 team lift the African Cup of Nations,” Kossmann tells iDiski Times.
“Again, it proves that South Africa has the ability in football to be immensely successful on the global stage.
“For me, the players that stand out, are the ones that I’ve worked with closely in the past, being Lazola Maku at Ubuntu for a number of years. I was proud to give him his debut in the ABC Motsepe at 14 years of age. What a special talent that is gonna do a lot of great things.”
Kossmann also knew Ah Shene well, having coached him for several years at Ubuntu, and then reuniting with him at City in 2023, where he and Shakeel April also worked together, with April joining City around the same time.
“Jody Ah Shene and I go back for years and years, we worked together at Ubuntu and at City,” he added.
“He’s obviously someone with immense ability as well, a creative player, X Factor player, that can make such a difference. I hope that he goes on to use this momentum going into the PSL and hopefully helping City stay in the league.
“And then Shakeel April obviously worked for a year with Shakeel at at City. Such a lively kid again, full of ability, creativity, lots of X Factor, and just excited to see what he’s doing as well, excited to see how these three boys, especially, were able to step up and do their part in the difficult games – the semifinal, the final, how they were able to make a difference, and just excited to see what the future has in store.
“We’ve talked about it, Rob, about South Africa having a bit of a golden generation incoming, and I think, ja, the last little bit has proved that.”
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