Congo Picks Squad for Africa U-17 Championship Qualifiers

Congo-Brazzaville have named their final squad for the 2018 Central African Football Federations Union (UNIFFAC) Under-17 Championships that is set to be held in Equatorial Guinea from August 3-13.

The side will be led by Coach Candido Filho and will be having 15 players after five of the initial 20 were dropped after they failed mandatory Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan conducted by CAF that proved that they did not fit the criteria to compete in the Under-17 tournament.

Filho has named a number of players that are young even by the standards of this age-group, including 13-year-olds, defender Francis Nzamba and midfielder Borel Tomandzoto with the oldest player in the group being 17-year-old forward Jacques Eboke.

Filho has selected just three out-and-out strikers in Pedro Peya, Elie Andzouono and Reuch Triumph Kokolo, but the side carries plenty of goal scoring threat from the midfield.

Congo have been handed a tricky group in 2018 with fellow regional heavyweights Equatorial Guinea, DR Congo and Sao Tome Principe.

Group B of the tournament promises to be a hard-fought won with Cameroon, Chad and Central African Republic with Gabon having withdrawn from the tournament.

Only the top team in each pool and the best runner-up advance to the semi-finals.

The inaugural regional tournament will have added significance this year when it serve as the qualifier from the Central African region for the continental finals to be staged in Tanzania next year.

Only the winners of the UNIFFAC tournament will appear in East Africa, which in turn will serve as a qualifier for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Peru.

Full Squad:

Patchely Rael Mbemba, Gilbert Ntoualani, Hermest Malonga, Francis Nzaba, Lyvin Jospin Bongo, Borel Tomandzoto, Reuch Triumph Kokolo, Elie Andzouono, Prosper Miakatsindila Milandou, Warrick Mapengo, Chrisma Ngankan, Pedro Peya, Yannick Baniakina, Jacques Eboke, Lucien Expedit Ayemba