SA football upbeat about 'Amajita'

When Carlos Alberto Parreira, Joel Santana's predecessor, was in charge of Bafana Bafana, he stressed time and time again that it was important to build from the ground up, with football at under-20 level being particularly important.

Parreira said South Africa needed to be competitive in youth championships, and now the country is performing at that level.

In January, the South Africa under-20s played in the African Youth Championships in Rwanda.

Known as "Amajita" - meaning a group of boys - the team booked their place in the finals by thumping Reunion 8-2 on aggregate in the first round of qualifying, followed by a 3-0 aggregate victory over Botswana.

Tough group

In Rwanda, where only the top eight teams contest the finals, South Africa was drawn in a tough group featuring Nigeria, Egypt and the Ivory Coast. Undaunted, South Africa's under-20s beat the Ivory Coast 1-0 in their first outing.

In their second match they made people sit up and take notice when they beat Nigeria, traditionally a bogey team for South African sides, by two goals to one.

Egypt defeated South Africa 2-1 in their third and final group match, but the previous two victories were enough to see Serame Letsoaka's charges through to the semi-finals as second-place finishers in the group, behind Nigeria on goal difference.

Semi-finals

That meant South Africa had to face Group A winners Ghana in the semi-finals. In a high-scoring contest, Ghana secured a 4-3 victory.

Nigeria, meanwhile, went down 2-0 to Cameroon in their semi-final, meaning they would take on South Africa once more for third place.

This time around the Nigerians won 2-1. Ghana went on to clinch the title with a 2-0 win over Cameroon.

Fifa under-20 World Cup

Despite finishing fourth, by reaching the semi-finals South Africa booked a place at the Fifa Under-20 World Cup, which takes place in Egypt from 25 September to 16 October 2009. It was the first time they had qualified for the World Cup in 12 years.

The big name to emerge from the under-20 side of 1997 was striker Benni McCarthy. A year later, in the 1998 African Cup of Nations, he was joint-top scorer alongside Egyptian great Hossam Hassan, with seven goals. That mark has been bettered only once in the history of the event.

McCarthy has gone on to become the highest scorer in Bafana Bafana's history. He has also played club football in Spain, Portugal, and England, for Celta Vigo, Porto, and Blackburn Rovers respectively.

A generation of stars?

The South African under-20 side impressed in Rwanda, and some are suggesting that a generation of stars is on its way. Yet stars are only determined by results and performances, so the team's showing in Egypt will go some way towards revealing just how good the SA under-20s are.

South Africa's under-20 coach Serame Letsoaka, in an interview with Fifa.com, said: "We are a good side, but it's always good when we go to these tournaments as underdogs. That way we can surprise people.

"We have exciting players," Letsoaka said. "I'm sure they want to lift their hands up and persuade the senior team coach that they are ready for the big stage."

Bafana coach Joel Santana has taken note of some of the under-20 players, including stars performers, such as Masibusane Zongo, Ramahlwe Mphahele and Phumelele Bhengu.

With some of the Bafana Bafana squad heading towards the end of their international careers, Santana will need to keep his eye on the talent that is emerging at age-group level.

Well known players

Many well known names in South African football have passed through the under-20 ranks. Some of them have secured big money moves overseas, although now, with the Premier Soccer League now the seventh most lucrative league in the world, staying at home is a more attractive option than it used to be.

Among those who have won contracts abroad are:

Matthew Booth, who recently returned to Mamelodi Sundowns after stints at FC Rostov and Krylia Sovetov Samara in Russia
Delron Buckley, with German clubs Vfl Bochum, Arminia Bielefeld, Borussia Dortmund, Mainz 05, and Swiss side FA Basel
Bradley Carnell with Vfb Stuttgart, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Karlsruhe
Lance Davids with TSV 1860 Munich and Swedish outfit Djurgårdens IF
Thembinkosi "Terror" Fanteni, with Maccabi Haifa
Benni McCarthy, with Celta Vigo, Porto, and Blackburn Rovers
Nasief Morris, the most capped player at under-20 level with 25 internationals, at Aris FC, Panathinaikos, and Recreativo Huelva
Steven Pienaar, with Ajax Amsterdam, Borussia Dortmund, and Everton
Elrio van Heerden, at FC Copenhagen and Club Brugge.