Durban In The Spotlight For COSAFA As Sundowns Plot Season Ahead
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In this episode of The COSAFA Show we hear from Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi on the champions’ chances ahead of the new season in South Africa, and explore the three-year partnership between COSAFA, the KwaZulu-Natal Government and eThekwini Municipality that was announced this week. The latter will see the COSAFA Cup staged in Durban for the next two editions, while the COSAFA Women’s Championship and COSAFA Beach Soccer Championship will be played in the coastal city for the next three years.
Starting next week, Durban will host the 2021 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier to kick-off the partnership.
But all eyes will be on the DStv Premiership this weekend as Sundowns open the defence of their title at home to AmaZulu on Friday. Mngqithi knows it will be a long season for them, as they battle on the domestic front as well as the CAF Champions League. Finding the right number for the squad is tricky, especially with COVID-19 still a factor.
“We are in a very unfortunate situation because we happen to play more matches than any other team in the league, but one big issue is how to manage the squad,” Mngqithi says on The COSAFA Show. “Last season we had a rife COVID-19 situation that forced us to play almost every member of the squad [at some stage in the season], but this season we think the situation is getting better, based on the tests we are doing over time. “It is not always proper to have a big squad, you have maybe 8-10 players on the outside when we are doing our tactical work and you have to try and bring everybody to give them all a chance. “But as coaches, with what is happening at the moment, we are around 30-32 players that we have within the team and the possibility of settling on that number. But with COVID-19 hovering about you, we don’t know if that is the right number.”
Starting next week, Durban will host the 2021 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier to kick-off the partnership.
But all eyes will be on the DStv Premiership this weekend as Sundowns open the defence of their title at home to AmaZulu on Friday. Mngqithi knows it will be a long season for them, as they battle on the domestic front as well as the CAF Champions League. Finding the right number for the squad is tricky, especially with COVID-19 still a factor.
“We are in a very unfortunate situation because we happen to play more matches than any other team in the league, but one big issue is how to manage the squad,” Mngqithi says on The COSAFA Show. “Last season we had a rife COVID-19 situation that forced us to play almost every member of the squad [at some stage in the season], but this season we think the situation is getting better, based on the tests we are doing over time. “It is not always proper to have a big squad, you have maybe 8-10 players on the outside when we are doing our tactical work and you have to try and bring everybody to give them all a chance. “But as coaches, with what is happening at the moment, we are around 30-32 players that we have within the team and the possibility of settling on that number. But with COVID-19 hovering about you, we don’t know if that is the right number.”
