Young African Football Club make their debut on the continental stage when they take on Royal Leopards of Eswatini in the CAF Confederations Cup in Francistown tomorrow.
Royal Leopards, which is the Royal Eswatini Police team, is one of the most successful clubs in Eswatini, having won the Eswatini Premier League on eight occasions while they have won the Swazi Charity Cup four times and the Swazi Cup three times.
This year they narrowly missed out on winning the Eswatini Premier League after finishing one point behind the winners, Nsingizini Hotspurs.
They, however, won the Ingwenyama Cup, which replaced the Swazi Cup, after beating Monene Pirates 1-0, to qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup.
Leopards have a proud history in continental competitions, having appeared regularly in both the Champions League and Confederation Cup tournaments in recent years.
They have qualified for the Champions League on four occasions with their best performance coming in 2021 when they reached the second round.
Their performances in the Confederations Cup have been even better as they reached the second qualifying round in 2012 and 2015, while they reached the group stages in 2022.
Young African, by contrast, will be making their debut, with no previous experience on the continental stage.
They, however, have been hard at work in the pre-season, playing several warm-up matches while club owner Maleagi Ngarizemo has also strenghtned the squad with several new signings.
They include two South African players – defender Mlungisi Mkhwanazi and midfielder Lethabo Raphalo.
Mkhwanazi joined from the Mpumalanga-based side Kruger United, while Raphalo joined from Luthuli Brigates FC, which competes in the ABC Motsepe League.
Other Namibian signings include midfielder Utjita Viera Kazongominja who played for Mochudu Centre Chiefs in the Botswana Premier League; goalkeeper Vaitavera Tjatindi from African Stars; and defender Okeri Maekopo from FC Ongos.
Besides that Young African have also signed several players on loan, including winger Nicodemus Haikali and midfielders Simon Elago and Wangu Gome from FC Ongos; and midfielder Tuzerehi Katipuja and defender Arthur Hindjou from Okahandja United.
“The club has moved decisively in the transfer market to secure key talents while also making difficult decisions regarding player departures,” Ngarizemo said in a press release.
“We are thrilled to welcome these exceptional talents to Young African family. Each player brings a unique set of skills and a winning mentality that aligns perfectly with our philosophy. The signings are a clear testament of our intent to compete at the highest level,” he added.
The Young African v Royal Leopards match will take place at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium, where Namibia’s Brave Warriors recently played their Fifa World Cup qualifying fixtures, and will form part of a continental cup double header.
Young African’s match will kick off at 15h00 and will be followed at 19h00 by the Champions League qualifier between Gaberone United from Botswana and Simba SC from Tanzania.
