Bafana guiding lights told to give direction

KAIZER Chiefs defender Ramahlwe Mphahlele has urged Bafana senior players to raise their hands during the opening match of the Four Nations tournament against Angola at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola today.

Bafana Bafana take on Angola at 3pm and the winner will take on the winner of the first semifinal between hosts Zambia and Zimbabwe with the semifinal losers meeting on Sunday before the final in the afternoon.

Coach Stuart Baxter has included a new generation of players like Siphesihle Ndlovu of Maritzburg United‚ Aubrey Modiba and Teboho Mokoena of SuperSport United and Reeve Frosler of Bidvest Wits to get a feel of the senior national team.

Speaking before the team departed for Zambia‚ Mphahlele said senior players must share their knowledge at this level and to help the younger players to be free to express themselves on hostile conditions.

“We have a very important role that we are playing and we need to ensure that we do it to our outmost best‚” he said.

“These boys are the future national team and it is vitally important that we share our knowledge and experience with them.

“They may be playing on a regular basis at club level but playing for your nation comes with a lot of pressure and we need to be there for them at all times.”

Bafana had a light training session upon arrival in Ndola yesterday afternoon and Baxter‚ who is excited by the mix of youth and experience in the squad‚ is expected to announce the squad this morning.

“We have the right blend of youth and experience which we believe can gel well together to form the right combination and fighting unit‚” said Baxter.

Bafana have a clean bill of health ahead of the clash against Angola with the exception of Wits defender Buhle Mkhwanazi who has a slight hamstring injury which the medical team will monitor overnight.