13 April 2011
Group A of the 2011 African Youth Championship – which gets underway in South Africa on Sunday – is, on paper, the weaker of the two pools in the competition. However it should provide for some fierce competition, as the teams battle it out for two semifinal berths and qualification for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia later this year.
Featuring hosts South Africa (who were knocked out early in qualification but given a second chance due to the switch of host countries from war-torn Libya), Egypt, Mali and Lesotho, there are no real favourites in this group.
Most people would write off Lesotho as minnows, but it was they who beat regional rivals South Africa in the preliminary qualifying rounds. They have also eliminated Algeria and Kenya, so clearly the junior Crocodiles have no lack of talent in this generation of players.
Mali, too, should provide a stiff challenge for any opponent. The young Eagles eliminated Chad and Gabon en-route to qualifying and have had a good preparation for the tournament. Added to that, they will be able to call on a number of players who are on the books of Ligue 1 clubs in France.
The hosts, whose U20 team goes by the nickname Amajita, will be looking to make the most of home advantage. A recent friendly victory over Cameroon (who are in Group B) has given hope that they will emulate the class of 2009, who made it as far the semifinals.
New coach Maqsood Chenia has been fretting over the unavailability of certain key players who have not been released by their clubs (the competition does not fall on FIFA-sanctioned dates, so clubs are not obliged to release players), but in this regard most of his counterparts are in the same boat anyway.
Egypt, the only former winners in Group A, also defeated Cameroon in a recent friendly and are perhaps the favourites to top the standings. Coach Diaa Al-Sayed is fortunate to be able to pick from a promising group of youngsters, many of whom have impressed in the highly competitive Egyptian Premier League.
The likes of Omar Gaber and Mohamad Ibrahim (both with Cairo giants Zamalek), Arab Contractors’ striker Mohamad Salah and Al-Masry first team goalkeeper Ahmad El-Shenawy all have top flight experience under their belt, making this young Pharaohs team arguably the most battle-hardened and experienced of the group.
The tournament kicks-off on Sunday at Soweto’s Dobsonville Stadium with two Group A games: hosts South Africa face Mali in the opneing game, and Egypt take on Lesotho later in the day.
Group A fixtures:
17 April
South Africa v Mali
Egypt v Lesotho
20 April
Egypt v Mali
South Africa v Lesotho
23 April
South Africa v Egypt
Mali v Lesotho
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Original post:
No real favourites in Group A