Future looks brighter for Notoane’s charges
● David Notoane’s SA under-23 side are looking razor-sharp to follow in the footsteps of the 2000 and 2016 SA football Olympic teams. And the good thing about the current side is that they may even do better at the global showpiece in Tokyo next year.
Both the 2000 and 2016 teams bowed out in the first round of the only two Olympic tournaments that SA teams have been at, but Notoane’s team, which trashed Zimbabwe 5-0 in the third round, first leg of the under23 Afcon qualifier at the Orlando Stadium on Friday, is promising to take SA football to heights it has never scaled.
Goals by Kobamelo Kodisang, a brace by Luther Singh, Teboho Mokoena and Lyle Foster, gave SA a commanding lead going into the second leg in Bulawayo on Tuesday.
It was not just the goals that put a gloss on this victory, but the way in which players like Singh, Foster, Kodisang, Mokoena, Sipho Mbule and Athenkosi Dlala showed maturity in dismantling their opponents.
Notoane though is not surprised at what his players have produced: “For me what’s more important is delivering these young talented players to Bafana in line with Vision 2022 and in line with World Cup 2026,” said Notoane.
“It’s now up to them to push that door and force their way in, not through favours or through who knows who, but through their performance on the park.”
Certainly the future looks brighter for Notoane’s charges as most of them worked with the new Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki at the national under-17 level. That relationship was in full bloom in Orlando on Friday night as Ntseki interacted with them behind the scenes before and after the match.