It is only a matter of days before the U17 World Cup round of 32 matches gets underway. And Amajimbos will be bracing themselves for a major task when they take on a tricky Japan side on Saturday. Their game will kick off at 3.30pm (SA Time).
South Africa progressed to the round of 32 of the World Cup in Qatar after finishing second in Group A following their 3 – 1 defeat to Italy on Sunday.
They will now face off against a Japanese side that topped Group B ahead of tournament favourites Portugal. And they will have to go past them if they are to continue their run in the global showpiece.
Shortly after their progression to the knock-out round of the competition, SA Football Association president Danny Jordaan congratulated coach Vela Khumalo and his side, stating that some FIFA observers were left impressed by their performance against Italy.
Impressive performance
“You can see this team can play football. Arsene Wenger said so in Morocco already after he watched them. And he said this is a very good team. Even the FIFA observers at the game were very impressed and said this team can play,” Jordaan said.
“The quality of both teams — Italy and South Africa — was very high. Of course, South Africa made a few mistakes, and it’s suicidal if you make mistakes at this level. But I’m sure that they’ve learned through that process.
“But if you look at our team and you look at the U17s of Italy, you find some of those players are already playing in the upper levels and the top leagues in Italy. While in South Africa, we are not giving these boys a chance at the higher levels.
“But I think that they’ve grown through this tournament. And they have become a better team and better individuals in the team.”
Amajimbos are one of nine African teams that reached the knockout stages of the U17 World Cup. Tunisia, Senegal, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Morocco, Zambia, and Mali will all be raising the African flag in the round of 32 matches kicking off on Friday.
