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South Africa U20 coach Raymond Mdaka has offered the senior national team Bafana Bafana recipe for success following their U20 AFCON triumph.
Fresh off guiding South Africa's U20 national football team to continental glory, head coach Raymond Mdaka has urged the senior national side, Bafana Bafana, to draw inspiration from the building blocks behind the junior team's success.
Mdaka masterminded South Africa’s historic 1-0 victory over Morocco in the final of the U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cairo, with the match-winning goal coming from Gomolemo Kekana in the 70th minute.
The victory has not only highlighted the country’s burgeoning youth talent but also sparked crucial conversations about development pathways.
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The Backbone of South Africa’s Youth Success
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Speaking after the triumph, Mdaka credited the DStv Diski Challenge (DDC), South Africa’s reserve league, as the cornerstone of the team's success.
“Back home, we used to have interviews and said a number of players you see are the players playing in the DDC,” Mdaka said as quoted by SABC Sport.
Kekana, the final’s lone goalscorer, is among a core group of players who rose through the ranks in the DDC, gaining vital match experience and exposure before earning the junior national team call-ups.
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Mdaka emphasized that this kind of development structure is exactly what the senior side needs to embrace for sustained success.
“That says a lot to the youth, that we seem to be getting there because that is the foundation of the senior national team. It means we need to put more focus on development again, because that's what can take us somewhere in terms of our football,” he added.
Mdaka also praised the scouting and player monitoring made possible through the DDC.
“I again salute the DDC because it made it easy for us to be able to see players week in and week out and follow them.”
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Bafana Bafana's Path Forward
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The tactician's comments arrive at a pivotal moment for South African football.
Under head coach Hugo Broos, Bafana Bafana are plotting a return to the global stage, currently sitting atop their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying group.
Confidence in the squad is growing after their recent qualification for the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), set to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania in August.
Looking ahead, the team is also preparing for the 2025 African Nations Championship in Morocco this December, with hopes of using these tournaments as stepping stones toward a World Cup return.
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