Mashaba excited about Youth Tournament
South African national Under-20 coach Ephraim ‘Shakes’ Mashaba believes the 2014 Durban Under-19 International Football Tournament will be a great platform for local youngsters to showcase their talent.
The tournament is set to take place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, from 31 July to 9 August and will feature a specially-formed under SA U-19 national side, which will be coached by Mashaba, as well as a team from the KwaZulu-Natal Academy.
The two sides will then compete with Under-19 teams from some of the top clubs around the world in Santos (Brazil), Boca Juniors (Argentina), Everton (England), Benfica (Portugal), Feyenoord (Netherlands) and Roma (Italy).
“Development is crucial. Without the proper structures in place then you cannot home to bring through players with the correct technical ability and the right mentality to succeed,” Mashaba said.
“We have faced enormous challenges in the past, but it is something at SAFA we are trying to put right. Hopefully with this new initiative we are now on the right path to that successful development structure.”
Mashaba believes the tournament could be a stepping-stone for undiscovered talent which will have an impact on the senior national team as they look to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
“This is an overdue tournament for this age group; it came at the right time. These are the building blocks for our future senior national team,” he added. “As we work toward Russia, these are the players to take us there.
“We want the public to give these young guys the support and courage to realise their potential because by the time Russia comes, they will have gone through all the channels including the (2016) Olympics.”
The group stages of tournament will be played at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium and at the Princess Magogo Stadium, while the semifinals and finals will take place at the King Zwelithini Stadium and the Moses Mabhida Stadium respectively.
