By BAKANG MOKOTO
4 June 2025 – Coach Vela Khumalo is fully focused and ready as South Africa prepares to face Mozambique in the opening match of the 2025 COSAFA Cup at Free State Stadium on Wednesday. Kickoff is at 3pm.
The encounter between the two neighbouring countries marks the beginning of what Khumalo hopes will be a strong campaign for his side in this year’s regional tournament. Speaking ahead of the clash, the coach emphasized the importance of starting on the right footing.
“We actually had a good session. One will understand that this is not for the first time one is doing this. If you remember while we were here, I was the defending champion because we won this with COSAFA before and I was also a head coach together with coach Morena Ramoreboli back then.
“The transition from coaching the South African men’s U17 team at the U17 AFCON a few weeks ago to leading the South African men’s national team in this tournament was not a significant leap for me,” he said.
Khumalo further said the experience gained at youth level provided a strong foundation as many of the core principles, strategies, and challenges remain consistent across age groups. He added that confidence in his ability to adapt quickly, highlighting that working closely with young talents has equipped him with the insight and flexibility needed to succeed at the senior level.
“From Bafana Bafana to DDC, from DDC to Under 17, from Under 17 to Bafana Bafana, it is not really much of a big gap. It’s how you impact the knowledge of these bigger ones (players). This is a talented team, but most of these boys I coached them at an earlier age. So, it’s a smooth translation for me.
“The team is determined to secure a win in today’s match. Their focus and preparations have been geared towards delivering a strong performance, and he expressed confidence in the players’ mindset and commitment,” said Khumalo.
He said what they want to see is them winning the first game so that they can be at ease. Khumalo said then they can start playing exactly how they want to play, keeping position and playing the philosophy of the country’s style.
“If we can keep to that and maybe importantly win the game, then we’ll be in a good space where we can try and explore other things, and we’re hopeful that we’re going to do it right,” he said.
The Guardian 