The tournament was scheduled for this month in Libya, but the uprising against the Muammar Gaddafi regime in that country had led to a postponement and a shift of venue.
The president of the Confederation of African Football, Issa Hayatou, said yesterday that the executive had decided to award the tournament to South Africa. Ghana was also in contention to host it.
South Africa's team had failed to qualify for the tournament, but will now be able to take Libya's place.
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| South Africa Soccer Fans |
This will also give Baby Bafana an outside chance of reaching the junior World Cup, for which the Youth Championship is a qualifier. The World Cup will be played in Colombia from July 29 until August 20 and the top four teams in the African championship will qualify.
It is likely that South Africa was awarded the tournament because the country could host it almost immediately. CAF needed the tournament to be completed before June, the Fifa deadline for the junior World Cup.
The tournament will cost the SA Football Association about R25-million and CAF has to help, according to an official of the SA Football Association.
The Times understands that the North West and Western Cape governments are bidding to host the tournament. The other countries taking part are Cameroon, Nigeria, Egypt, Lesotho, Gambia, Ghana and Mali.
Source -http://Timeslive.co.za
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