Bafana have chance for quality matches
SOME TEAMS AT WORLD CUP WILL SEEK WARM-UPS AGAINST AFRICAN SIDES
Friday’s World Cup draw could offer South Africa, who are not participating at the next year’s tournament in Russia, a chance for prestige friendlies in the first half of the year.
Countries drawn against African opposition in the World Cup traditionally seek out friendlies against sides with similar styles. If South African officials move quickly enough, there could be some quality opponents - in the international window in March and June - for the country as it seeks to build a team after the disappointment of missing out on Russia 2018.
Last week’s decision by the Confederation of African Football to postpone all African Nations Cup qualifiers that had been set down for March, means there is now a window for potential money-spinning friendlies.
The qualifiers have been moved to October at the request of the five countries who are going to the World Cup and felt they needed to get much better practice.
Nigeria, who are in South Africa’s group, were going to play Seychelles in March in the 2019 Nations Cup preliminaries, which would hardly have been testing preparation, and so the CAF decision makes sense.
South Africa were to host Libya at the same time but that will now happen in October.
Bafana Bafana are therefore now looking for a date and with their international contacts, the onus is on the South African Football Association to get the team to the front of the queue as World Cup warm-up opponents for some of the top ranked nations.
Africa’s five representatives - Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia - go into the World Cup draw, along with 26 other countries, at the Kremlin in Moscow on Friday, with the ceremony kicking off at around 5pm (South African time) and the draw to follow soon thereafter.
The World Cup in Russia runs from 14 June to 15 July.