AFCON U-17
Somalia face hosts Algeria in U-17 AFCON opening tie
Somalia will face an uphill task when they face hosts Algeria in the opening match of the TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) later tonight.
The Group A match will take place at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers.
Zonal champions Somalia and South Sudan will carry the Council of East and Central African Football Associations (CECAFA) flag at the tournament which runs April 29th to May 19th.
Nur Mohamed Amin, the Somalia U-17 head coach said on Friday that although his team is making their debut in this competition, they are determined to prove a point.
“I have confidence in our players. We are lined up to face Algeria, Senegal and Congo, all of which are big teams and a motivating factor for us. We will see how the first game goes because I am confident that we can compete,” added the coach.
Somalia will however miss their skipper Abdihafid Mohamed Abdi who was also the Most Valuable Player at the Zonal qualifiers. About four more players who featured in the Zonal qualifiers will also miss the tournament.
The South Sudan team will be in action on May 1st in a Group C match against Cameroon at the 19 May 1956 Stadium in Annaba.
A: Algeria, Senegal, Congo, Somalia
B: Nigeria, Zambia, Morocco, South Africa
C: Cameroon, Mali, South Sudan, Burkina Faso