COSAFA Women's Championship 2020

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If this tournament is completed, it'll be a major achievement - it's never been plain sailing even in normal times. The Covid-19 pandemic is still going on in South Africa; it's not an ideal time to host international sport, and not ideal for the players. Part of me wonders if Cosafa feels it needs to organize the competition (or be seen to work towards it) to secure the annual funding from Fifa.

The hosts' neighbours Lesotho and Eswatini are also added to the team list. The draw gives us 10 countries in 3 groups, though let's say, it might not be 'final':
https://www.cosafa.com/fantastic-clashes-headline-cosafa-womens-championship-draw (Archive)

It's interesting to see how FAs are treating such an unusual event - Namibia withdrew their teams, citing the cost.
In the youth tournament, Botswana U17s aren't travelling, though the seniors are set to participate.

This year, Zambia's Copper Queens won a historic qualification for an Olympics that might not happen; they announced a Cosafa squad in September: https://www.goal.com/en-au/news/gra...d-for-cosafa-womens/zgadr02hg8hb19bd50nm7ug9h

Tanzania have furthest to travel from east Africa. No info on the seniors yet, but the U17s could potentially emulate the Tanzania U20s and keep the title out of southern Africa's hands, after the U17 cup was won last year by guests Uganda (not competing this time). https://allafrica.com/stories/202010190678.html

This was the last Championship final, 14 months and 100 years ago...

Zambia 0 - 1 South Africa [green], Aug 2019
Tiisetso Makhubela 22'

Previous championship threads:
2011, 2017, 2018, 2019 senior/U-17​

COSAFA map - (by Davykamanzi)​

 

Good news about their involvement. In fact, with the extra match fitness they should do really well. Banda (top scorer in China) was only added to Zambia's earlier squad list because this tournament was delayed - they completed the Chinese season in October.

It looks like the Championship is really going to kick off - the first group games tomorrow (Tue 3 Nov), at the Wolfson Stadium in Port Elizabeth, are Eswatini v Comoros and South Africa v Angola.
Fixture list:
https://www.cosafa.com/2020-cosafa-womens-u17/

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Each matchday has an early game (10:30 GMT), the first is Eswatini-Comoros. The late game is usually the bigger match (13:30 GMT). They're live on https://cosafa.tv/ and in South Africa via Supersport.

Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland, and sometimes as Switzerland), will do without their headcoach, Du Makhanya. Although their team Sitsebe have a good chance of group runner-up, the Swazi federation is giving mixed signals - the EWFA is going 'pro' but it's having money problems and is shedding staff.

The Comoros have one big aim, avoiding another 17-0 defeat to South Africa.
Comoros announce squad for COSAFA Women’s Championship - (Soka25east.com)

Other stories...

No reporters: Due to health restrictions, there won't be journalists in the house for these games, and only one official photographer.

S Africa Women new kit super-snub: Some unfortunate symbolism, the South African FA deal with rooster-themed sportswear maker, Le Coq Sportif, will not include their women's teams for this tournament. Le Coq is crowing about its new Bafana men's jerseys, but sadly Le Coq seems to have blocked the Banyana team from having the same, and says female kits must wait until later. Meanwhile, the women's team will continue with the old Nike jerseys, the ones that they wore in a World Cup finals and the men's team wore while crashing out in the qualifiers.

(and Nike had trouble of its own last month in Australia... https://www.bigsoccer.com/posts/39035902)

It's an interesting version of the South Africa team, without their foreign-based stars - the hosts are aiming for 4 titles in a row. It has made my day to see the full Banyana squad's happy grinning at the camera on this web page, all apart from the very last name, Pride Nthite, whose seriousness may give her the extra edge that it takes to succeed: https://www.safa.net/2020/11/02/banyana-banyana-2020-cosafa-womens-cup-squad/

Angola returned to the Cosafa fold last year, after the federation dropped out of women's football for years. FA director Miler Gomes recently said women's football there was at "year zero", but it isn't true - the team has done well before. Still, there's a massive lot of rebuilding to do, and today's opponent South Africa will be very tough. Last year, Angola conceded 4 to Zimbabwe and to Eswatini, who they'll face again in match 3.
Their squad: https://prodesporto.com/federacao-a...oria-da-seleccao-feminina-para-a-taca-cosafa/

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Day 1 round-up, with a big comeback win for Eswatini:

Eswatini 4 - 2 Comoros - (Phumzile Dlamini 65′, 90’, Tenanile Ngcamphalala 75’, Mokgale Nonjabuliso 87′ / Abdourahmane Hairyat 18’, Anllaouia Hadhirami 53’)
Match reports: Times.co.sz/Cosafa.com

South Africa 2 - 0 Angola - (Lonathemba Mhlongo 39', Karabo Dhlamini 60')
Match report: IOL.co.za (Archive)

(img: Eswatini Independent / Cosafa)​

Day 2, Wednesday, starts now with Zambia v Lesotho. The Lesotho squad are working with a new boss - Lehloenya Nkhasi replaced Lire Phiri two weeks ago. Nkhasi coached club LDF to 3 Lesotho league titles.

The Zambian U17s impressively got a 1-1 draw with the senior team in a warm-up game last Thursday. Can the junior side carry that form into today? The opening U17 games, at the historic Westbourne Oval, play simultaneously with the senior matches: Comoros-Tanzania and then S Africa-Zambia.

Today's second senior game is Zimbabwe v Tanzania. As a guest nation, Tanzania's Twiga Stars have arrived safely but what can they do in the tournament? At senior level, no invitee has won the Cosafa cup, but Cameroon came close and Tanzania ended 3rd in 2011.

Tanzania (img: 2eyezmedia.com)​

 

Again Zambia is making waves...

 

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Match reports:
Zambia 8 - 0 Lesotho - (Banda 29’, 52’, 70’, Chilufya 56’, Maylan Mulenga 64’, Chanda 66’, 76’, Lungu 84’)
Zimbabwe 0 - 1 Tanzania - (Kadosho Shekigenda 61’)

Big score for Zambia although with some missed chances 1st-half. Seven goals came after half-time. It's hard to compare, but Lesotho's last team in 2018 lost by 6 to Cameroon in the Cosafa cup, and 1-0 and 6-0 to South Africa in the AWCON. Malawi will be no easier for Lesotho on Saturday, but the group's key match is Monday's Zambia-Malawi to decide the semi-finalist.

Zimbabwe's captain was red-carded in their loss - a second booking for Emmaculate Msipa, an Olympian in 2016, so presumably she'll miss their second and last group match against Botswana.

Msipa: Saw red v Tanzania
(Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil)​

A good result for Zambia's U17s against the hosts, a 2-1 win, the reverse scoreline from South Africa's semifinal winning score last year, in Mauritius. The five-team round robin will end with the top 2 in the final.

No matches on Thursday - both tournaments continue on Friday, including senior Group A.

 

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Group C is shaping up to be a very tough 3-team pool...

Botswana currently lead 1-0 (goal by Thanda Mokgabo) after an hour against Tanzania, who won the first game over Zimbabwe.
Mokgabo must have been added later to the original Botswana squad, an apparently versatile midfielder who usually plays for one of football's most flamboyant clubs, YASA Queens.

#CosafaW2020: 🇧🇼Thanda Mokgabo nods home a freekick to break the deadlock right after the break. 🔥

53'| 🇧🇼Botswana 1-0 Tanzania🇹🇿

[Mokgabo 48']

📺 Livestream: https://t.co/AETfWtTCpY

— JWsports1 ⚽️ (@JWsports1) November 7, 2020

 

Was it the first game played by Malawi? That Tabitha Chawinga (not to take out anything from her sister, but...) is a veritable one-army woman.

(As seen in her Chinese club also).

 

Oof, Lesotho didn't have a hope at this tournament... no team around their level in the group, and their two opponents gave them -17 goal difference:

Malawi 9 - 0 Lesotho
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGd125dDEio


Malawi have tended to fade away when they meet the more experienced teams, so it'll be interesting to see what happens this time. Their squad information mentions that Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga self-isolated in Malawi before joining the squad there.

The next senior games are the four on Monday (9 Nov), the last group matches:

(S African times, GMT+2hrs)​

09-Nov C Zimbabwe vs Botswana 12h30 Gelvandale Stadium
09-Nov B Zambia vs Malawi 12h30 Wolfson Stadium
09-Nov A Angola vs Eswatini 15h30 Gelvandale Stadium
09-Nov A South Africa vs Comoros 15h30 Wolfson Stadium

Today, Sunday, the junior teams are in action at the usual times: Zimbabwe v Comoros (both 0 points), and Tanzania v South Africa - both on 3pts, so the winner is likely to reach the U17 final.

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2-0 lead for Comoros U17s against Zimbabwe near half-time, possibly on course for their first win ever(?) Last year the Comoros hosted the U17 championship and had losses as bad as 20-0. The Zimbabwe youth team weren't there, but played in an U17 World Cup qualifier this year with a 7-0 aggregate loss to Botswana.

 

Final score was 3-2 for Zimbabwe U17s after an exciting ending, Brenda Ndarowa hit the winner - the Comoros' 15-year-old GK Amina Ben Ali Abdou was indeed the best player, and probably stopped ZIM from multiplying their score. The kind of goalie the national team really needs in the future!

Tanzania U17s are now likely to make the top 2 of the round robin, and a final against Zambia - "Playmaker Aisha Masaka scored five goals as East African guest nation Tanzania stunned South Africa with a 6-1 victory" - (Cosafa.com)

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