Muinjo lauds Cosafa impact 

Ex-Namibia Football Association president John Muinjo has praised the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) for uplifting football standards in the region.

Muinjo, a founding member of Cosafa in 1997, believes the qualification of a record seven southern African countries to the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations finals is down to the contribution of Cosafa.

Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Comoros, and Angola will all be flying Cosafa’s flag in Morocco early next year.

Cosafa annually organises tournaments from the under-17 to senior level, which provide the region with a priceless development platform.

“I’m actually very excited about the record qualification as former executive committee and founding member of Cosafa,” Muinjo told The Namibian Sport yesterday.

“After getting what you manifested, ask for discipline to keep it and wisdom to multiply it and multiplication is the order of the day now.

“It goes to show that the Cosafa region has made great strides and that the Cosafa competitions are adding a lot of value,” he said.

Previously considered inferior to west and north Africa, with several of its members in the lower reaches of international football rankings, the southern region appears to have significantly closed the gap to their more illustrious rivals.

More needs to be done to maintain the upward trajectory of southern African football, Muinjo said.

“If we want to make inroads in African football and world football it’s imperative that governments should provide for adequate playable stadiums, so that all national teams and players at all levels and genders could get the required exposure and dignified respect,” he advised.

“Management of stadia are key known deliverables from all stakeholders too as lessons learned from being homeless for too many years that are costly and undesirable too. Players need home support and identity too.”

To date, the Cosafa region has only ever managed to win two Afcon titles.

South Africa won it on home soil in 1996, while Zambia stunned the continent with success in 2012.

Part of the reason is down to having little to no players plying their trade in world football’s leading leagues, Muinjo said.

Another crucial variable that West and North Africa exploit to remain ahead of the rest of the continent is scouring the top footballing nations for expatriates who benefited from high-level youth development.

“We need to place more and more players from Cosafa in Europe and the Middle East,” Muinjo said.

“What a turnaround for Cosafa. This positive trajectory is inspiring and promising that qualifying for the Fifa World Cup and winning Afcon are not far-fetched dreams for Cosafa teams.

“Gone are the days when the north and west dominated African football. Bring it on!”