Rancagua, Chile – The South African U-20 coach, Raymond Mdaka, don land for Chile and e ready to take the boys shine for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. As dem prepare for di first match, e no be all celebration for the coach; na serious matter. “A lot of people would see it as a celebration, but to me it becomes a challenge” na wetin e talk when dem ask am about the World Cup.
For Mdaka, dis journey no be joke, e don pass through careful planning and hard work since dem qualify. “We had objectives, long-term and short-term. One of the long-term objectives was to see if the country could qualify for the World Cup, which we have achieved now,” e talk. Na true, e get reason to smile because dis boyz don carry di TotalEnergies CAF U20 Africa Cup of Nations trophy.
But make we no run carry go trophy matter; di coach sabi say di main focus na to achieve small goals and build up. “We never thought of lifting the trophy”, e say. Instead, dem just wan qualify for di World Cup and now, look where dem dey! Di team don grow from strength to strength – no be only skills dem get, but character too.
“I will always attest to the Mozambique game. It showed di kind of players we get…” as e yarn. Dem don de surprise plenty people already, especially when dem beat Malawi for di first game. Now, with their sights set on the USA, New Caledonia, and di big boys from France, di pressure dey rise.
Mdaka sabi say, “If we get di right structures and support, we go see brighter future.” But e no forget to mention di hard travel dem don pass through – over 20 hours na im dem use to fly reach Chile. “I think it was a long flight, and di boys don rest well.” With di excitement of a World Cup, e feel sey dis time na opportunity to show wetin dem fit do globally.
As di tournament begin, all eyes go dey on di Amajita as dem try to make African football proud. After so many years of watching and cheering from di sideline, dis na di time to step into di big leagues! Di journey don start, and we dey expect nothing short of brilliance from dis young stars!
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