U23 coach Notoane rues poor preparation
An emotionally drained SA U-23 part-time coach David Notoane blamed lack of proper preparation for the side’s failure to qualify for the U-23 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) and 2024 Olympic Games.
Their goalless draw with the Republic of Congo in Brazzaville on Monday caused them to exit in the third and final round of qualifying on away goals after a 1-1 draw in the home leg at Dobsonville Stadium last Thursday.
The U-23 Afcon in Morocco in June and July serves as the qualifier for the Paris Olympics.
Notoane could not steer his team to qualification despite having a good squad with players who are regulars for their Premier Soccer League clubs.
“It’s an emotional outcome [because] these are the dreams we live for as coaches, to go to these major tournaments,” he said. “We were so close and yet so far, and it’s unfortunate that most of the time one had to deal with last-minute situations in putting the team together, despite efforts to try to formulate a strategy that will give the team good preparations.”
Notoane, a full-time youth coach at Mamelodi Sundowns and a stringer in his job for the SA Football Association, said they only had two days to prepare for the first leg.
Though the final result is disheartening, the coach believes the experience his players gained in the qualifiers will be valuable for them in future.
“It’s a difficult result and an outcome we didn’t want, but it’s football. I’m disappointed on a personal level because the game was within our grasp,” he said.
“We planned to make sure that defensively we were tight and we didn’t concede. But we missed some very good chances. [Boitumelo] Radiopane had two one-on-ones, and at the end Mduduzi Shabalala had a breakthrough on transition play, on a platter to finish; unfortunately again it was all down to decision-making.
“The boys put up a gallant fight under difficult conditions and we are going out on the away-goal rule.”