Pretoria:The South African U23 Men’s National team is intensively preparing for their upcoming Olympic Games qualifiers against Madagascar. The two-legged matches are scheduled to take place at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville on Saturday, 14 November, and Tuesday, 17 November.
According to South African Football Association, the team has already conducted two training sessions in Pretoria under the guidance of Head Coach Raymond Mdaka. Mdaka emphasized the significance of these qualifiers, noting that participating in the Olympics could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the players. He described the matches as a representation of the players’ abilities and a motivational factor for the team.
Coach Mdaka highlighted the challenge of gathering information on Madagascar, describing them as a “closed book.” Despite attempts to gather insights, including enlisting the help of their senior team analyst, details about Madagascar’s team remain scarce. Mdaka expressed confidence that the technical team would find a way to prepare effectively.
Mdaka has retained much of the team that faced Algeria in friendly matches in Bloemfontein last month. He spoke about the difficulty of selecting the final 23 players due to the abundance of talent and emphasized the importance of players who are actively participating in matches. Mdaka also highlighted the need to evaluate the competence of players based on their performances with their clubs.
The South Africa vs Madagascar fixture is part of a series of matches across the continent as teams vie for a place in the third round of qualifiers in March, leading to the CAF U23 AFCON. The top two teams from this tournament will represent Africa at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.