CAF – School Championship: The COSAFA zonal phase from December 14 to 16 in Harare

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has revealed the dates and venues for the zonal qualifiers for the CAF African School Football Championship, with particular focus on the COSAFA zone zonal phase.

From December 14 to 16, the city of Harare in Zimbabwe will be the scene of the zonal phase of the COSAFA “Council of Southern Africa Football Associations” zone bringing together 11 countries, including Madagascar, participating for the first time, Zimbabwe (host), Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, and Zambia. Before this stage, from October 28 to November 2, the national school championship brought together schools from eight regional directorates of national education in Madagascar, competing in the U15 boys, U13 boys and U15 girls categories. This national competition is of crucial importance, as it marks Madagascar’s first participation in the CAF “African Schools Football Championship” program. The young players who shone during this championship will have the opportunity to represent the Big Island in the zonal phase, with the hope of continuing their journey on a continental scale. Organized in collaboration with the Ministries of National Education and Youth and Sports, this national school summit also serves as a detection of talents who will join the national teams for future school championships.

Preparing for succession

The 2023-2024 CAF African Schools Football Championship season marks the official start of this groundbreaking competition. Led by Dr Patrice Motsepe, President of CAF, this season sees increased participation, with more than 800,000 young boys and girls from 28,000 schools across 44 countries. Structured in three phases, notably the national, zonal and continental phase, the competition offers a unique opportunity for young schoolchildren to shine on the international scene. In addition to the competitive aspect, the African School Football Championship highlights initiatives such as the young reporters program, the young referees program, as well as the CAF safeguarding program. These parallel projects aim to develop the skills of young people outside the field, thus helping to train future African leaders. The continental phase of this competition is scheduled to take place in April 2024, marking the culmination of this tournament which transcends the boundaries of football to shape future generations on and off the pitch.

Heriniaina Samson

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