The head coach of the Kaizer Chiefs U-19 youth team, David Mathebala, is convinced that his young players are capable of competing for national honors at the upcoming Engen Champ of Champs tournament.
The Amakhosi team earned the right to participate in this prestigious tournament by winning the Gauteng Engen Knockout Challenge in July, which secured their place among the best youth teams from various regions of South Africa.
The Engen Champ of Champs tournament, held under the slogan 'Where the Kings of Diski Begin,' will take place at the University of Pretoria High-Performance Training Centre from October 1st to 4th.
As the competition approaches, Mathebala noted that excitement is building within the team. Players have begun discussing the upcoming championship during training sessions and are focused on achieving the highest results.
The coach is also pleased with the opportunity to compare his team with squads from other provinces, while emphasizing the importance of representing the Gauteng province honorably.
Mathebala stated: 'We are ready and happy to play at the national level.' He added that he has seen the success of teams such as Antalyaspor JPM CT FC and knows that AmaZulu qualified, believing that other provinces will field stronger lineups.
He continued: 'So it all comes down to testing ourselves against the best from other provinces. But yes, we are ready; the guys are ready. You can hear them talking about Engen most of the time during our training sessions. But we are ready, and we believe we will continue to prepare very well, and we will succeed because we are representing the province.'
Furthermore, Mathebala expressed a desire to avoid a poor performance in the tournament. 'We want to reach at least the final, and obviously, as I said, they play to win. We want to win Champ of Champs.'