The Sunday News
COSAFA have entered into a new three-year partnership with South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal provincial government as well as the city of eThekwini to host several of the regional body’s tournaments in Durban, including the flagship Cosafa Cup.
The agreement runs from August 2021 to December 2023 and provides the Cosafa Cup, Cosafa Women’s Champions League and Cosafa Beach Soccer competition with certainty over the hosting of the trio of annual events in what are the most uncertain of times.
In terms of the agreement, the three tournaments will be staged in the coastal city each year over that period, making use of the world-class football facilities on offer and the excellent all-round infrastructure in travel, transport and communications.
“We have worked exceptionally hard to put together this partnership and are delighted with the outcome as it gives these three events a fixed home for the next few years, which in turn gives both Cosafa and potential sponsors confidence that the tournaments will be of the highest quality,” said Timothy Shongwe, chairman of Cosafa’s competitions committee.
He went to further state that the KZN provincial government and the city of eThekwini have been excellent partners of Cosafa in the past. Durban hosted the 2019 Cosafa Cup.
“We are delighted to have Beach Soccer back on the calendar from 2022, and all these tournaments play a crucial role in the development of football in our Southern African region. We are thrilled that the KZN provincial government and the city of eThekwini share our vision,’’ he said.
KwaZulu-Natal provincial government head of department for Sport and Recreation, Thobile Sifunda, said the province is determined to get sport back up and running.
“We look forward to welcoming the Cosafa family to KwaZulu-Natal, starting with the Women’s Champions League qualifiers. We trust that when the safety regulations are relaxed, we will enjoy the full benefits of hosting Cosafa activities in the coming years. As KZN we are ready to host and be the home to Cosafa for many years to come, with our state-of-the-art infrastructure, tourism and hospitality offerings, friendly people and pleasant weather conditions,’’ she said.
EThekwini Municipality mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda said the announcement of the long-term partnership between the KZN provincial government, eThekwini Municipality and Cosafa could not have come at a better time ahead of the inaugural Confederation of Africa Football Women’s Champions League Cosafa qualifier which starts next week.
“As eThekwini Municipality we will always strive for the total emancipation of women, both in the society and in the workplace. We are fully aware that when we invest in women’s football, we are expanding the pool of players who will represent the country one day,’’ Kaunda said.
Durban has already been named host for the 2021 Caf Women’s Champions League Cosafa qualifier that will be staged from 26 August to 4 September.
The competition will see seven teams from across the region compete for not only the trophy, but also a ticket to the continental finals in Cairo later this year. Zimbabwe will be represented by the Black Rhinos Queens.
Cosafa have numerous other tournaments on their calendar, including the Women’s Senior Championship and events in the Under-17 and Under-20 age groups for both men and women. Cosafa will also be hosting a Futsal tournament in Mozambique this year.
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