Africa-Press – Eswatini. COSAFA President Artur de Almeida e Silva has described the COSAFA U-20 Championships currently being hosted in the country as their best edition to date with the organisation hoping to host more tournaments locally in the future.
The president made his remarks during the closing of the week-long COSAFA Administration and Management Course at Sigwaca House yesterday.
The kingdom hosted the competition for the first time which started last Friday and will end today with the finals. The tournament serves as a qualifier to next year’s TotalEnergies AFCON U-20 tournament in Egypt, where the top four finishers will secure a place in the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia. Almeida e Silva said they were pleased with the reception they received in the country.
“Every time we visit somewhere it is always great for it to feel like home, and I feel at home here in Eswatini. All the countries and teams that were here are very happy because the hospitality was top class.
I can honestly say the Eswatini edition of the U-20 competition has been one of the best we have ever had and we will definitely be back for another competition in the future,” he said. He also shared the fact that he was fortunate enough to pay His Majesty King Mswati III a courtesy visit together with association’s executive team on Thursday evening at Lozitha Palace.
During the visit, the president said they managed to have fruitful talks with his majesty as they requested for more infrastructure like stadiums to help develop the sport and encourage them to bring more tournaments to local shores.
“I am so happy that I had the chance to meet the king and this was a historic moment for both me and the association. I asked the King to help the Eswatini Football Association by renovating and improving our stadiums because infrastructure is important to the development of football,” he said.
Today will see the conclusion of the tournament which will have defending champions Mozambique face Zambia in the finals at Somhlolo National Stadium. Kick-off is slated for 3pm.
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