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Amajita to play against Morrocco in the AFCON 2025 CUP final.
A rousing welcome for the Amajita, the victorious under 20 national side who made history by becoming the champions of Africa for the first time in the team’s history.
They played no-frills football the entire tournament, but it was that brand that took them past some of the best teams on the continent in their age group. Their coach, Raymond Mdaka, highlighted their mental fortitude as the thing that separated Amajita from their opponents.
“Sometimes if it doesn’t work out for us tactically because the opponents would also come up with their tactics, we must have the character to fight and indeed in most of the games you would find that maybe we don’t start well but we are able to comeback.”
Mdaka was honored as coach of the tournament. Four of his charges were included in the team of the tournament and then there was Tylon Smith, who scooped the player of the tournament award with his standout performances.
“I feel blessed cos why this is an amazing gift for me this is the first of many, but I am really grateful and incredible achievement for your team talk about your team, top talented players. I love them all good players, welcome home, thank you sir,” says Smith.
And the accolades didn’t stop there. Fletcher Lowe-Smythe had the safest hands in the tournament, after an incredible three successive clean sheets in the knock-out rounds
“We did it we made history, and I am so proud, I could be a part of this incredible team its perfect, I mean if I can help us win that’s all I can ask for and that’s all I try to do on a daily basis for this team,” says Lowe-Smythe.
The next generation of South African footballers avenged the defeat to Morocco in the same tournament in 1997, they set the record straight with an historic first win which was not without its inner turmoil according to the captain Patrick Autata.
“It was difficult at times because the coaches would fight a lot with us sometimes we felt like if they were in our shoes they would understand the problems we are facing on the field however they came up with a gameplan each and every game and they belief and trust in us that we could execute the gameplan and we did that very well,” says Autata.
Joining Bafana Bafana, Banyana Banyana and Amjimbos, Amajita is the latest national side to achieve, and that’s because there is some stability in the South African Football Association, amongst the coaching staff who work tirelessly to get teams ready for national duty.
“It’s clear that coaching stability having a coach pursuing a particular project is one of the major success stories and I want to thank all the coaches here and particularly Raymond Mdaka here,” says Danny Jordaan, SAFA President.
And before the players could finally get home, here is a bit of sage advice from the senior national team coach, Hugo Broos on making good choices in their budding careers.
“And you know guys achieving the top is easy but staying on the top is so much more difficult everything starts now for you are on a crossroads,”
The team can look forward to getting back to training, some back to studying, and all of them preparing in earnest for the Under 20 World Cup in Chile in September.
