Africa-Press – Angola. The coach of the Palancas Negras, Pedro Gonçalves, defended, on Tuesday, the presence of the National Teams in the Cosafa Cup tournament and in the qualifiers of the African Nations Championships (CHAN), in the Under-23 (Olympic), Under-20 competitions. and Under-17, in both sexes.
“Evidently, as a coach I want Angola to be present in the competitions. This implies that we will not only have the competitions of the National Team of Honors. We will also have the qualification to CHAN, Cosafa in July”, said the coach during the conference of press conference, held at the headquarters of the Angolan Football Federation (FAF), after the draw for the qualifying qualifiers for the final stage of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN), next year, in Côte d’Ivoire.
The Cosafa Cup tournament is scheduled for the period from the 5th to the 17th of July, in the South African city of Durban. This competition takes place after the matches of the 1st and 2nd rounds of the qualifying qualifiers for the final phase of the CAN.
The race returns to Durban for the first time since 2019, having been held in Nelson Mandela Bay last year.
The Men’s Cosafa Under-20 Cup, which has been postponed since December last year, will be played from 6 to 16 October in e-Swatini (ex-Swaziland).
This competition qualifies for the CAN category, in February 2023, in Egypt. The champion and runner-up of the tournament qualify for the final phase of CAN’2023.
The Council of Football Associations of Southern Africa (Cosafa) has scheduled the Under-17 tournaments, male and female, simultaneously, for the period from 30 November to 10 December, at a location to be defined by the event’s organizers.
The men’s event will qualify for the final stage of the African Cup of Nations (CAN), next year, in Algeria.
During the meeting with journalists, Pedro Gonçalves said that the Palancas Negras have the capacity to qualify for the final phase of CAN’2023.
“We have the potential to reach the CAN in Côte d’Ivoire. The important thing is that we are growing and showing growth, at a sporting level, on the pitch. This is what moves us and makes us believe that we have the potential to reach the next CAN in Côte d’Ivoire”, assured the coach.
The national coach made it known that he wants to be present in the final phase of the competition, and he is confident in the working group.
“I don’t want to be here with pious hopes. I want to have serious intentions, and serious intentions turn into goals and not dreams”, underlined the coach.
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