Two players from the Castle Lager football Academy class of 2015 and one from the inaugural campaign, are part of the men’s U/23 National Team squad that returned from in Palestine on Monday afternoon, 16 March, en route to Khartoum to take on Sudan in their first Olympic qualifier match.
The three Castle Academy graduates are, Sifiso Nkosi and Bafana Dlamini from the academy camp which recently came to an end in February, together with Simphiwe Mtsweni from the first season of the campaign.
The trio was invited for trials together with 40 other players under mentor, Owen Da Gama. They were named amongst the 23 player squad that is currently in Palestine and played a friendly match against the Palestine National team on Sunday, 15 March.
South Africa came out with a 2-1 victory, and Nkosi and Mtsweni featured in Coach Da Gama’s starting 11.
Motsweni plays his club football for Kaizer Chiefs in the premier league, while Nkosi plays for the North West University, Vaal Campus (NWUV) competing in the ABC Motsepe League and Dlamini hails from Remember FC in the Mpumalanga SAB league stream.
The Castle Lager Football Academy campaign which started in 2012 in partnership with the South African Football Association (SAFA) and the SABC, is steadily achieving its objective of assisting with football development in the country.
“One of the objective for the Academy this year was to assist the U/23 National team coaches in their scouting for players for the Rio Olympics qualifiers. We are very pleased to see that our efforts at trying to assist is reaping the rewards, not only in unearthing future Bafana Bafana players, but assisting other National teams’ structures. We wish the players all the best and the U/23 National Team the best of luck in their qualification matches,” said Errol Madlala, SAB Sponsorship Manager.
It all comes together with a Castle.
Castle Lager Football Academy graduates in under 23 National Team
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