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Sunday Chidzambwa

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
FIVE Cosafa competitions have been lined up for the 2018 season, starting with the flagship senior men’s tournament set to be held in South Africa from May 27 to June 9.

Zimbabwe’s Warriors are the defending senior men’s champions after outclassing their trans-Zambezi rivals Zambia 3-1 in last year’s final at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Phokeng near Rustenburg, South Africa.

The Warriors were under the charge of Sunday Chidzambwa assisted by Bongani Mafu and Lloyd Mutasa. Chidzambwa is likely to be in charge of the Warriors again, as they seek an unprecedented sixth Cosafa Cup medal.

Apart from the senior men’s tournament, the regional bloc will also have the Under-17, Under-20 as well as the Women’s Championship. The 2017 Women’s Championship was held in Zimbabwe where the hosts fell 1-2 to their South African counterparts in the final played at Barbourfields Stadium.

“The flagship Cosafa Cup tournament for the senior men’s national teams will be staged in South Africa from May 27 to June 9, providing rich entertainment for fans in the build-up to the Fifa World Cup in Russia,” Cosafa’s deputy chief executive officer Suzgo Nyirenda told The Nation newspaper of Malawi.

He said the senior men’s tournament will be followed by the Under-17 version in Mauritius from July 19-29, adding that the tournament will be used as a zonal qualifier for the 2019 African Championships in Tanzania.

“The senior Women’s Championship will also be staged in South Africa, with the exact dates still to be determined, while there will also be a women’s Under-20 tournament from December 1-15 in Botswana that will form part of the African Union Sports Council Region Five Under-20 Youth Games,” Nyirenda said.

The last tournament of the year will be the men’s Under-20 event, which has tentatively been set for December, although the venue is yet to be finalised.