SADC on the rise

Football analysts are celebrating the fact that seven southern African nations have qualified for the 2019 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). Namibia, South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Tanzania have all booked their places at the African showpiece, which will see 24 nations vying for the trophy. The tournament will take place in Egypt from 21 June to 19 July. The competition's format has changed from 16 to 24 teams, which has enabled more countries to qualify.In 2017, only two southern African countries -Zimbabwe and DRC - qualified.Zambia lifted the trophy in 2012, which was the last time a southern African nation won, while west African nations dominated the tournament over the years. North African teams have also had their fair share of successes in the competition, with nations like Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia winning the tournament on several occasions. Only South Africa (1996), Congo (1968) and of course Zambia (2012) have been able to bring the trophy to southern Africa.There is, however, a strong feeling that southern African nations are on the rise.This has been evidenced by the likes of South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns and DRC's TP Mazembe being crowned CAF Champions League in recent years. Namibia Football Players Union (Nafpu) secretary-general Olsen Kahiriri said that he was proud of what southern Africa has achieved.“Firstly, I would like to congratulate Namibia's team and technical team, as well as the outgoing NFA executive committee.“Yes, seven SADC countries qualifying shows the region is doing well. “The Cosafa Cup has grown to give us these fruits, but most importantly it is this bloc that has given birth to the change in leadership in Africa after 34 years of Issa Hayatou (the former CAF president),” Kahiriri said. He challenged SADC chairman, Namibian head of state Hage Geingob, to take sport seriously in the region, as it can improve trade and investment. “Look at how our fans travelled to Zambia and the tourism exposure Zambia got from the game. “We can see also some leagues in SADC, like in Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Angola, attracting players from as far as Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya.”Kahiriri added that SADC's politics is a force to be reckoned with and he therefore believes a lot can be done in terms of dominating African football administration.He, however, added that southern African players are still not featuring en masse in the world's major football leagues, which remained a challenge.Former football player Rudi Louw also sang the Brave Warriors' praises. He also senses a growth in the strength of SADC football. “I think the SADC countries are doing well, but I also believe it will be tough for them to prevail at the tournament, because of the big names from west Africa that have qualified.“Our last match for Namibia was a concern because we did not do that well and that is why we need to improve.” He urged all Namibians to stand behind the team during the competition, as well as other SADC nations.Football follower and administrator Hafeni Hiveluah said: “The qualification of Namibia for the next Afcon edition clearly shows that we have the talent to compete against the best on the continent.“There is quite a shift in power in African football and the power seems now to be equally shared among the regions.“Hopefully southern Africa can leverage this momentum and also start to have more than one team qualifying for the Fifa World Cup.”The draw for Afcon 2019 will take place on 12 April in Egypt. The 24 teams will be seeded into four pots based on their CAF national team rankings. The 24 teams will be drawn into six groups of four teams. The hosts, Egypt, will be seeded in Group A.The top two teams in each group, along with the four best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16. Sport guru Isaac Hamata said: “This is by far the biggest number of southern African or Cosafa countries that have qualified for Afcon.“That is a good thing for the region, but we should not seek comfort in numbers.“As individual countries we should aspire to do better, by reaching the knockout stages of the tournament.” Jesse Kauraisa

SADC on the rise

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-12

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SADC on the rise

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-12

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