Vela Khumalo confident Amajimbos can topple Japan

South Africa Under-17 national team (Amajimbos) head coach Vela Khumalo has expressed strong confidence that his side is prepared to advance past Japan and into the last-16 round of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

The Amajimbos face Japan in a crucial Round of 32 clash this Saturday at the Aspire Zone in Doha (kick-off at 3:30 pm SAST). South Africa secured their place in the knockout stage by finishing second in Group A, behind strong contenders Italy.

“Look, we are very, very happy with the draw,” Khumalo stated. “We have an assignment now, we are not going to sleep. All I know about them is that they went in with seven points, they won two games, and then they drew the other one.”

While acknowledging Japan as a “decent team” with one “influential player, number 10,” Khumalo remains optimistic about his team’s preparation and chances of victory. “I think we are going to do our assignment and see how to go about it, but I’m optimistic, I think we will go through,” he affirmed.

Full Squad Availability Sparks ‘Welcome’ Selection Headache For Vela Khumalo

In a major boost for the team ahead of the do-or-die fixture, Kaizer Chiefs DDC coach Khumalo confirmed that the squad now has a clean bill of health and no disciplinary issues, ending a tough period where the team struggled with injuries during the group stages.

“We’re having a clean bill of health, and that’s a plus for us. I think it came at the right time,” said Khumalo. He noted that even the red card received by Sive Pama against Bolivia has been cleared.

Far from being a problem, the coach welcomes the fierce competition for starting spots that this full availability creates.

“We have a good competition for this, and we are going to establish who we are going to play and plan around so we can have good players to play against Japan,” Khumalo concluded, ensuring that the best possible South African side will take to the pitch, aiming for a spot in the last-16.