Castle Lager Football Academy graduates in U23 National Team squad
Three Castle Football Academy graduates named among the 23-man squad that played against the Palestine.
Two players from the Castle Lager Football Academy class of 2015 and one from the inaugural campaign are part of the men’s U23 national team squad that returned from Palestine on Monday afternoon.
The three graduates are, Sifiso Nkosi and Bafana Dlamini from the academy camp which recently came to an end in February, and with Simphiwe Mtsweni from the first season of the campaign.
The trio were invited for trials together with 40 other players under mentor, Owen Da Gama.
They were named among the 23 player squad that played a friendly match against the Palestine.
South Africa came out with a 2-1 victory, and Nkosi and Mtsweni featured in Da Gama’s starting 11.
Mtsweni plays his club football for Kaizer Chiefs in the Premier Soccer League, while Nkosi plays for the North West University, Vaal Campus (NWUV) competing in the ABC Motsepe League and Dlamini hails from Remember FC in the Mpumalanga SAB League stream.
The Castle Lager Football Academy campaign which started in 2012 in partnership with the South African Football Association (SAFA) is steadily achieving its objective of assisting with football development in the country.
“One of the objectives for the academy this year was to assist the U23 national team coaches in their scouting for players for the Rio Olympics qualifiers.
“We are very pleased to see that our efforts at trying to assist are reaping the rewards, not only in unearthing future Bafana Bafana players, but assisting other national teams’ structures.
“We wish the players all the best and the U23 national team the best of luck in their qualification matches,” said Errol Madlala, SAB sponsorship manager.
