Crossroads for Bafana
BAFANA Bafana head into today’s do or die clash against Botswana at Moses Mabhida Stadium with all spears pointed in the same direction.
At least, that is the message the overseas-based returnees have put across this week.
Coach Gordon Igesund has selected one of his strongest squads to date, pitting in-form overseas-based campaigners against their locally based counterparts.
This week’s preparation in Durban has been a festival of competition for places in the starting lineup, and we will know just before 3.30pm kick-off which players received the nod.
The England-based duo of Kagisho Dikgacoi and Bongani Khumalo, who were sidelined after the Africa Cup of Nations, have returned with more vigour than ever to try to help the nation earn a ticket to Brazil for next year’s World Cup.
Anele Ngcongca, whose Belgian club Racing Genk caused friction between the right back and Igesund by refusing to release him for the friendly against Nigeria, has returned saying he is “willing to die” for the Bafana cause.
“We’ve prepared well and the atmosphere is great. Every player that is here knows he has got a responsibility to perform..
“I always want to play for my country but that didn’t depend on me but on my team.”
Ngcongca is a key man in defence for Bafana and his European experience will come in handy when he has to close the door on dangerous Botswana left winger Mogakolodi Ngele.
The Cape Town-born speedster said they dare not underestimate the Zebras, who, with one Group A point fewer than Bafana, can still progress to the next round of qualifiers if Ethiopia lose to the Central Africa Republic in CongoBrazzaville.
It is a year to the day since Igesund’s first match in charge, and in that period he has lost only two competitive matches – against Mali during Afcon on penalties and against Ethiopia in June.
No margin of victory, however, will take South Africa through to the final qualification stage if Ethiopia beat the CAR but Bafana should at least give themselves a chance by sticking to their end of the bargain.