SOUTH Africa Under-20 star Keanu Cupido has warned his teammates not to get too excited ahead of their upcoming regional youth tournament.
As Amajita departed for the Cosafa Under-20 Cup in Zambia yesterday, the players were in a confident mood.
But their star defender does not want to his teammates getting ahead of themselves in this tournament.
Amajita left for Kitwe, where they will be based along with fellow Group B teams, invited guests Egypt, Mozambique and Mauritius.
Thabo Senong’s young charges were in good spirits and are expected to go all the way at this year’s event. They narrowly lost 2-1 as host nation to Zambia in Rustenburg in last year’s event.
Amajita face Mauritius first at the Arthur Davies Stadium in Kitwe tomorrow (3pm).
Cupido, who plays for Ajaccio in France, said the plan was to take things one step at a time. “The mood in camp is good. The moment we have been waiting for has finally arrived.
“But we don’t want to make the mistake of taking our opponents for granted. That could be our downfall.
“We don’t want to concern ourselves with the prospect of winning the tournament just yet. We want to enjoy the occasion and make the nation proud by putting on an impressive performance.”
Amajita played several friendly games to prepare for the tournament. The talented defender said the team was ready for their opener.
He said: “We are not under pressure to win the tournament but we are ready for the first match.
“We are not thinking too far ahead, our first goal is to win the opening match.
“We were talking as players before our departure about remaining fully focused on the tournament.
“We have been drawn against good teams and have to give them the respect they deserve. Our focus is on the next match.”
Hosts Zambia are favourites to defend their title and are expected to finish on top of Group A.
They have been drawn against Swaziland, guests Uganda and Malawi. Zambia open their account against Uganda at the Arthur Davies Stadium today (7.30pm).
Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Lesotho will battle it out in Group C.