Seven countries confirm Cosafa Cup participation

SEVEN Southern African countries have already confirmed their participation in the 2014 COSAFA Cup to be held in Botswana between September 13-28, 2014.

With the deadline for response set for April 25, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Malawi, Seychelles, Lesotho and Swaziland have all confirmed they will participate.

Others are expected to throw their names into the hat in the coming days as the field for the annual regional showpiece tournament takes shape.

“Many of our general secretaries from the various COSAFA countries were in South Africa at the FIFA seminar that was held recently and so have not been in their own offices to deal with such issues,” COSAFA CEO Sue Destombes says.

Kenya were the guest nation at the last finals in Zambia in 2013 and Destombes confirmed that COSAFA are already “speaking to a couple of countries” from outside the region about participating in Botswana.

“That is why we have made the deadline for countries to confirm their participation so early in the year because it does then give us time to engage with others from outside COSAFA and give them adequate time to make a decision,” Destombes says.

The COSAFA Cup returns this year after the successful hosting of the 2013 edition in Zambia last July, when the host nation defeated Zimbabwe in the final to record their fourth tournament win, which drew them level with the Zimbabweans at the top of the list for all-time tournament wins.

South Africa and Angola are the only other nations to have lifted the title and have three wins each.