The COSAFA Show

Mamelodi Sundown Ladies coach Jerry Tshabalala sat down with The COSAFA Show to discuss Sunday’s final of the CAF Women’s Champions League where they will take on home team AS FAR in Rabat. Sundowns are seeking back-to-back titles but will be up against an excellent opponent, as Tshabalala describes. “They are a very tricky side,” he said in our exclusive interview. “They are very comfortable on the ball and honestly speaking, one of the best teams. Technically they are very good. They are well organised and know how to defend. “They are very quick going forward, they are quick in transition. We will have to be cautious in how we approach them. But we will have a plan for them. When you press them higher, they tend to panic at the back.” Tshabalala ALSO shares his views on a range of subjects, including the potential for Sundowns to take part in a FIFA Women’s Club World Cup if the global governing body sticks to their pledge to create the tournament.

In this episode of The COSAFA Show, General Secretary Sue Destombes gives us the lowdown on the CAF African Schools Championship | COSAFA Qualifier that is being staged in Lilongwe, Malawi from Saturday. It is yet another exciting addition to the COSAFA football calendar but has a twist in that it is for budding young players aged 12-15, so has a unique place among our tournaments. We hear the ethos behind the tournament, as well as sum up the rest of the year so far in what has been a busy few months for football in Southern Africa.

On a similar theme to that, we will hear from Farouk Khan, who is one of the top development coaches in South Africa and has nurtured the career of countless professional players over the years. He tells us the secrets to success and sheds light on his work at his Stars of Africa Academy. Khan has produced several players for Bafana Bafana and into the European market over the years and is highly regarded in local circles for his work in youth development, having been part of SAFA’s technical committee in the past. He shares his views on the critical fundamentals for player development.

We also get the views of Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies coach Jerry Tshabalala as his team jets off to Morocco for the African Women’s Champions League finals, where they are the defending champions. They have been drawn against Bayelsa Queens from Nigeria, Egyptian side Wadi Degla and TP Mazembe from DR Congo.

In this edition of The COSAFA Show we look ahead to the exciting TotalEnergies AFCON U20 Egypt 2023 | COSAFA Qualifier in Eswatini from October 7-16, where the best young talent in the regional will go head-to-head. They will not only chase the coveted COSAFA trophy, but also attempt to qualify for the continental finals that will be held in Egypt early next year. That competition in turn is the qualification route for the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Indonesia, where the leading four sides will head to Asia.

We speak to Mozambique coach Dario Monteiro, who led his side to the title two years ago and will be back to defend the trophy after no competition was possible last year due to the Omicron COVID-19 variant. He gives us a fascinating insight into his team and also speaks about his time with Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League. We also chat with Eswatini coach Mduduzi Nxumalo as he leads the hosts into the competition and seeks a first knockout phase place for his team in 20 years.

Lastly, we get an insight into the COSAFA Beach Soccer Youth Festival that is being held in Durban alongside the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Beach Soccer Championship.

The HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship is now a thing of the past and we are already looking ahead to two more tournaments on the horizon. Next up is the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Beach Soccer Championship in Durban from September 25-October 1, as well as the and the regional men’s Under-20 championship in Eswatini that goes by the name of the TotalEnergies AFCON U20 Egypt 2023 | COSAFA Qualifier. That tournament serves as a preliminary competition for the continental finals in Egypt next year, which in turn are the qualifiers for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup that will be staged in Indonesia. So the long road to the global finals starts in the Kingdom of Eswatini and we spoke to the country’s football association President Peter Simelane to find out how preparations are going and the general health of football there.

Our second interview for this episode is with Zunaid Mall, who was appointed technical director for the Mauritius Football Association in March 2020 but was dealt a swift blow as the COVID-19 pandemic brought a halt to sporting activities on the island. But they are now back in full swing with extensive plans in place to drive football forward in the country. We spoke to him about Mauritius’ return to the regional Under-20 competition after a hiatus, participation in the COSAFA Beach Soccer event, and much more.

Our latest episode of The COSAFA Show comes just days away from the start of the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship on Wednesday, where East African guest nation Tanzania will seek to retain the title they won last year. But there will be any number of challengers for the trophy, not least a strong Zambian side that recently finished third at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and sealed a first-ever qualification for the Women’s FIFA World Cup next year. We chat to their star midfielder Ireen Lungu, who also recently enjoyed COSAFA success in the Women’s Champions League competition with her club Green Buffaloes. Lungu will be a key member of the Copper Queens squad in Nelson Mandela Bay and says they are gunning for a first-ever regional title as she discusses a range of issues.

Natasha Tsichlas has been a pioneer in women’s football for two decades and had a hand in starting the Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies team that has been so dominant in recent times. She is well placed to talk about the future of the game in the region and what is needed to take it to the next level. She shares her views on how women’s football can accelerate its growth in the region.

In this special episode of The COSAFA Show, we sit down with three figures from women’s football in South Africa, Zambia and Botswana to hear their stories and the growth in the game in that country that led to their excellent performances at the recent 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. In celebration of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions league | COSAFA Qualifier that is being played in Durban this week, we have a special set of guests. We are joined on our panel by Angela Kubheka, who is Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies Media & Liaison Manager, and who has watched closely the improvement in women’s club football in South Africa.

Our second guest is Gwen Chipasula, who is the Media and Public Relations Officer for Zambian topflight men’s side NAPSA Stars but has also worked as a COSAFA Media Officer. The third member of our panel is Gaone Pearl Kerileng, a former player with Botswana side Double Action Ladies who is now a journalists in that country.

The trio talk us through their own journey in football, the state of the women’s game in their respective countries and some of the challenges they have faced in a sometimes male-dominated environment. Each is very successful in their own right, but that does not mean there hasn’t been obstacles in the path to their success!

Zambia clinched the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Cup 2022 in fine style in Durban to claim their record-equaling sixth regional title following their 1-0 victory over Namibia in the final.
It was a superb tournament with some excellent football, showcasing the rich array of talent in the Southern African region.


In this edition of The COSAFA Show we hear from the coaches of both Zambia and Namibia to get their reflections on the decider, as well as South Africa tactician Helman Mkhalele after his youthful side collected the Plate competition.There is also a fascinating discussion with former Al Ahly assistant coach Cavin Johnson on his role as part of the Technical Study Group at the competition, whose job it is to analyse the tactics and trends among the teams.
Johnson reveals their findings and give some wonderful insight into the latest developments in the game in the region. It is not to be missed!

We also hear the view of COSAFA Medical Officer Dr Thulani Ngwenya on how tournaments are moving away from the strict COVID-19 protocols and what this means for all stakeholders.
Former Bafana Bafana international Mark Fish explains all about his project Fast Footie which is aimed at giving young players a fun and exhilarating entrance to the game. It is also an interview not to be missed!

And finally, we hear from participants and convenor Ashford Mamelodi at a COSAFA administration workshop that was held in Durban to upskill local budding administrators in the KwaZulu-Natal province, one of COSAFA’s many legacy programs at each tournament.

Nobody knows more about match officials on the continent than legendary COSAFA Referees Manager Felix Tangawarima, tasked with bringing through a new generation of talent in the coming years.

He has already overseen the careers of some of Africa’s leading match officials, including the man of the moment Victor Gomes.

But with a number set to retire this year, who he names on The COSAFA Show, there is the need to push on and bring through a new group. “We have been ranked number one in Africa as a zone in terms of the development of referees,” Tangawarima says. “You can see on the ground that, for example, the [2021] Afcon final was taken by COSAFA referees, as was the finals of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup this season. “All of these were officiated by COSAFA referees. This is the first time it has happened, so we can see the results of our development plan that has been laid down for some years now. “COSAFA is the only zone in Africa that is taking two ‘trios’ of match officials to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Out of the 16 match officials going to the World Cup from the continent, COSAFA is providing six. That is an amazing compliment to us.”

Also in this episode we hear what Durban has in store for the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA CUP 2022 and get the thoughts of Zambia goalkeeper Hazel Nali ahead of the start of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco on Saturday.

The 2022 Hollywoodbets COSAFA Cup is set to be the best yet with top teams and players to take part in the July 5-17 competition in Durban.
On this episode of The COSAFA Show, we hear from COSAFA President Artur de Almeida e Silva after the draw was held this past week as he explains why more corporates from around the Southern Africa region should get involved in the tournament.
We also get the view of Hollywoodbets Brand and Communications manager Devin Heffer as he explains why they were so keen to come on board, not just for this tournament but several other COSAFA events in 2022.


Dr. Fikile Ndlovu, who is acting Head of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport, Arts & Culture, reveals why they are delighted to see the tournament return to Durban after they last staged the event in 2019.
And Brilliant Khuzwayo, who is a former goalkeeper for Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana, but saw his career cut short by injury, has his say. He has become involved in football development and will be an ambassador for the Hollywoodbets COSAFA Cup this year. 


Finally, we have an in-depth interview with Seychelles Football Federation President Elvis Chetty on how that organisation is emerging from the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and just what the future holds in the island nation.

Football Association of Malawi President Walter Nyamilandu says the team is ready to meet the raised expectations on the side following their stunning performance at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon earlier this year.
The Flames reached the second round of the continental showpiece for the first time and took Morocco close in the knockout stages, showing a massive improvement in performance.

Nyamilandu admits the hard part is now to replicate that but believes the side are on a new upward trajectory as they host Ethiopia in Sunday’s opener for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

“We needed to showcase how good Malawi is. All those years we were misfiring, but it is great that the Flames brought some good news for Malawi,” Nyamilandu told The COSAFA Show.


“The performance [in Cameroon] was exceptional, beyond the expectations of a lot of people, and we take pride in what we achieved. It was something historical. We are still enjoying the moment and I hope it will last a long time. 
“Our plan is to start from where we left off. We were on a high and we want to capitalise on that momentum as a springboard. The boys have a lot of confidence that they can excel. We are taking matches very seriously because we want to go to the finals in Ivory Coast.
“There is an expectation from Malawians that we will qualify. We need to make a big statement.”


Also in this episode, we speak to Botswana Football Association President Maclean Letshwiti about The Mares’ maiden appearance at the 2022 CAF Women’s Cup of Nations finals in Morocco next month, and the joint bid with Namibia to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
 Finally, we hear from Eswatini Football Association President Peter Simalane about developments in that country.