Mokoena: Bafana have serious issues
AARON Mokoena knows the kind of quality that Bafana Bafana possess.
That’s why the former Bafana captain is not surprised the team has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
“I could see there was an abundance of talent in the squad from the time I was part of the managerial team,” Mokoena said.
“We have a group of talented players, young and experienced, who are determined and mentally strong.”
While there might have been doubts among supporters about whether Bafana would overcome Libya last weekend, Mokoena stayed positive. “I think the mental strength was there, something that is so important when playing away from home,” said the former Portsmouth FC and Blackburn Rovers defender.
Stuart Baxter’s men earned their ticket to Egypt after beating Libya 2-1 in Tunisia‚ with Percy Tau scoring a superb brace. Mokoena said the team had plenty of “issues” to sort out before they head to Egypt in June. “Bafana need a 110% support from Safa. Safa needs support and Baxter needs support… I’m well aware there are serious issues in that team and you don’t want that before a major tournament.
“They need to be one team. Bafana are a good team, but we need Safa to support the team properly in whatever way, and now that we have qualified we need everybody to play their part.
“There have been times when players have tried to sabotage the manager’s job. Players have performed badly on purpose and tried to lose the game so that the manager gets sacked.
“This has happened to Baxter before but he didn’t let these type of off-field situations affect him. Things like this are simply unacceptable.”
Mokoena believes Bafana stand a great chance of lifting the trophy.
“I think they can match the quality that countries like Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria have. Yes, Bafana have gone through a rough patch, but so have the likes of Senegal and Ghana… we have the talent and we have the mental strength, which I think has always been a question mark.”
Safa vice-president Ria Ledwaba said Baxter’s mandate was to qualify for the tournament.
“We believe with the performance that we’ve seen in Tunisia‚ they can go there and make us proud,” she said.