April 16, 2005

The Zimbabwe Under 17 national soccer team lost by 1-0 in their friendly match against South Africa played in Johanesburg South Africa yesterday. The Zimbabwe U-17 national soccer which is in South Africa preparing for the 2005 African Youth Championships to be held in Gambia lost to the hosts by 1-0 in the friendly match played at Orlando Stadium in Johanesburg.

The Young Warriors who left the country on Wednesday will play their last friendly match against the hosts on Sunday at the same venue.

South Africa are also using the matches to prepare for the African Youth Championships and are in group B with Zimbabwe , Nigeria and Cote devoire at the tournament which is set to start on 7th to the 21st of next month.

Coach Madinda Ndlovu traveled to South Africa with a squad of 18 players mostly schoolboys whom he hopes to travel with to Gambia .

Meanwhile Tanzania , who were disqualified from the African Youth Championships by Caf and replaced by Zimbabwe are still hoping to play in the tournament and have already started preparing their team.

Tanzania was disqualified from the tournament in march for having used an overaged player but have appealed to the Switzerland based Court Of Arbitration for Sport and Caf has already been summoned to present its defence on the 23rd of this month.

Tanzanian football association president Leodegar Tenga said his team has started preparing so that should the court of arbitration rule in their favour the team will already be in camp.