Serengeti Boys land invitation to play at South Korea tourney
Serengeti Boys players celebrate after scoring during a recent 2017 African Youth Championship match. The Under-17 has been invited to feature at the South Korea Youth International Championship next month. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- The Korea Football Association (KFA) extended an invitation to the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) seeking the Serengeti Boys to feature at the South Korea Youth International Championship.
Dar es Salaam. The national Under-17 soccer team, Serengeti Boys, will have a perfect platform for exposure when they compete in South Korea next month.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) extended an invitation to the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) seeking the Serengeti Boys to feature at the South Korea Youth International Championship.
TFF secretary general Mwesigwa Celestine confirmed the invite to The Citizen yesterday, disclosing that they have agreed to field the team at the championship, which will involve several nations.
“We (TFF) are glad to have received the invite to feature in the event. We believe the team will gain exposure and confidence, so in recognising the importance of the tourney, we have already sanctioned it. We want our players to be at their best when they come up against top African nations in next qualifiers,” said Celestine.
He said the KFA was impressed with Serengeti Boys performance during the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Youth Cup, which took place in Goa.
The Tanzanian boys settled for the third place with South Korea winning the tournament forcing the US to take the runners-up position.
“The AIFF Youth Cup helped Serengeti Boys significantly in their bid to win a ticket for the 2017 African Youth Championships. They played some sublime football save for last week’s loss to Congo, which dashed their dreams,” he said.
“We expect that the boys who will be our next Under-19 team will also seize this opportunity to further their career. It is a good tournament for exposure as well, so I call upon them to take it serious,”
The Serengeti Boys camp was disbanded recently after losing 1-0 to Congo, the defeat which sent them crashing out of the 2017 AYC finals on an away goal rule. The aggregate stood at 3-3.
“Players have a break at the moment, but we expected them to resume training early next month,” he said.
When Serengeti Boys and South Korea clashed at the AIFF Youth Cup, they played out a two-all draw.
