Raymond Mdaka is disappointed that he'll be without one of his talismans for the upcoming Africa Youth Championships, but he says the show must go on.

Coach Mdaka will guide his SA U20 men’s national team - Amajita - in the youth Afcon which is scheduled to kick-off in Egypt on Sunday.

Amajita have to be at their best in north Africa as the event will also serve as a qualification for the U20 World Cup which will be hosted in Chile later this year.

But before they can dream about qualifying for the global showpiece for the first time since 2019 under coach Thabo Senong, they need to do well in the group stages in the land of pharoahs.

Amajita are in Group A alongside hosts Egypt, Cosafa neighbours Zambia, west Africans Sierra Leone and east Africans Tanzania.

Their group stage campaign won’t be easy as each team will play an extra game in the group due to the rescheduling of the tournament from Ivory Coast to Egypt recently.

Add that to the fact that Amajita will also be without centre-back Mbekezeli Mbokazi who was not released by Orlando Pirates due to club commitments.

Mbokazi is an integral part of the Pirates team, and with the side chasing for the Betway Premiership, CAF Champions League and Nedbank Cup titles, his contribution will be key.

Mdaka, speaking to the media after Amajita’s last warmup match in Bedfordview before flying out to Egypt on Wednesday, opened up about missing out on Mbokazi.

“I need to be very honest with you - the boy was key in terms of our defence,” Mdaka explained.

“As a coach, if he’s a player that you’ve been with since the beginning of the first camp when I took over (then it’s a major blow).

“Players tend to understand each other - how they play and all these other things - so, honestly, he was one of the key players in our defence.”

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Watch VideoMdaka backs Amajita to compete without Mbokazi at Afcon

Mdaka backs Amajita to compete without Mbokazi at Afcon